The Sun and Us

Content

Sun

A star is born roughly about a 5 billion years ago roughly, 4.57 billion years to be more precise. The star which we now refer to as the Sun was formed from clouds of dusts and gasses. “We wound up with a spinning disk of gas and dust. The central region had the most material and became hotter as energy was release from the forces of gravity. This hot gas in the center became hot energy for nuclear fusion to begin. At this instant the Sun was born.”² The Sun is the heart of our solar system that holds the planets and other debris together with its gravitation. It is made of gases, called helium and hydrogen. The core today is about 2/3 Helium. The heat allows nuclear reaction to occur, which cause 4 hydrogen nuclei to for 1 helium nucleus and releases energy in the process. This energy is transported to the outer layers of the Sun and radiated from it to provide us with light and energy. Part of this energy is reflected back into space, but part of it reaches the surface of the earth and heats it up. It is amazing to know that the of the total amount of energy the Sun releases, the earth’s energy consumption is only a small fraction of the energy that the Sun produces and radiates away.  The Sun so massive, that its powerful gravitational force holds the solar system together. Within itself, the Sun is balancing the forces of gravity and of gas pressure to keep itself equilibrium.³ Just as the Earth has its own weather, such as thunderstorms, the Sun also has solar storms caused by its magnetic fields. The Sun is enormous. In comparison, the Earth is similar to a marble next to a basketball. “The Sun could fit 109 Earths side-by-side across its diameter, and it has enough volume to hold about 1.3 million Earths”.⁴

The Sun’s atmosphere is made of many elements. It is mainly hydrogen and Helium. When the Sun was formed, about 71% of the Sun’s mass is hydrogen and another 27% is helium. The 2% percent is carbon, oxygen and nitrogen and other elements. ⁵ At the center of the Sun however, nuclear reactions have converted a lot of the hydrogen to helium. Using the absorption lines in the solar spectra, scientist have an idea what the Sun is composed of. Although astronomers study the Sun daily, there is no telling the Sun will do on a given day and whether there will be a solar storm. At this point, we know that the Sun is about 5 billion years old, and theories suggest that it live for 5 billion years as it going through its life cycle.

Children are aware that the Sun gives light and gives us daytime, while the Moon apparently gives us night. From their perspective, the Sun also gives heat, and many are aware of the seasons as the Earth travels around the Sun.  But there so much more to learn and teach. Especially, when in this day and time, Earth’s natural resources are decreasing. We are using up most of our natural resources to survive on Earth. Unfortunately, that is not enough, especially for the future generation. What is the answer?

What is energy?

Energy is found in various ways and forms. Energy gives the ability to move things. Such as the energy to move your legs using the muscles in the body or even simply for the functioning of the brain ¾energy in the brain cells (neurons) allow them to regulate the body, and, for example, to move one’s body. Energy is also obtained by the use of natural resources from the Earth, such as natural gases, coal used to make electricity. This type of energy is used to light up streets, cool or heat homes, cook a meal, or for transportation.  Energy can be seen in the movement of an object. One can also feel energy through light waves, for example the warmth from the Sun if we are cold. Or when one gets in a closed car, it would feel hot on a sunny day. Furthermore, you can see the energy carries by light at work when you see ice melting in sunlight. The Energy from the sun can be captured and stored for later use. One of the main ways that energy is stored is through batteries, these can be charged using solar panel, which can also heat water. Vehicles store fossil fuel for energy to make it move when in use. A flashlight can be turned on from the energy that is stored in the battery. So, energy can be changed into another form as it is used. In order to find energy, you can look in the motion of objects, heat, light and even sound, chemical reactions or electricity.

Just as the Sun has produces energy by nuclear, people on Earth use what they have on Earth to create the energy needed. Fusion creates an enormous amount of energy, and the ability to control fusion, which we do not have yet, would do wonders for Earth. There are two types of energy, renewable and nonrenewable.  Most of what we used for energy comes from burning nonrenewable fuels ¾coal, petroleum or oil, or natural gas. The energy from these fuels is often used to generate electricity to meet the needs of consumers. Unfortunately, some people are unable to have access to energy. For example, on the Navajo Nation, many homes do not have electricity to cook their food, or to supply air conditioning or heating in homes. In addition, the Navajo Nation lacks energy and resources (such as funding) to established running water to all homes. Since the recent COVID-19 Pandemic hit the Nation, it became very visible that the nation lacks resources, and this has adversely affected many lives of the Diné People. The resources need was obvious limited to the people. What can the Diné Nation do to resolve this problem? If energy is not supplied to every single household, what other sources can be used to offer the same accommodation for people to live efficiently. 

The Sun’s Energy

The Sun is the center of our solar system.  The energy from the Sun is one of the main resources that humans on Earth need in order to survive. The Sun’s energy supports life on earth. Without the Sun, there would be no life. The greatest blessing about the location of Earth is that it is at the right distance from the Sun.  We are basically not too far nor too close to the Sun. In essence, the conditions are perfect for humans and animals and other living organisms to inhabit Earth.  From the perspective of the Diné people, the Sun is the seen as the father. Both the Sun and the Earth are active and deserve the respect from humans, as one would want from another. The Sun is seen as a living being from the personification of many cultures. The Sun is shining consistently. Its radiant energy is needed when it reaches the Earth. The heat keeps the Earth warm enough to sustain humans and animals from freezing. As a comparison we know that a closed vehicle with the windows rolled up will heat up since heat is trapped and when you enter a closed car, it feels hot inside. This is what happens to the Earth, with the atmosphere trapping the heat. Additionally, the Sun gives light and life on Earth is not in darkness. The Sun’s energy is used by plants (which is known as photosynthesis) to create food. This means that life on Earth depends on the Sun since animals live by eating plants or other animals that eat plants. The Sun’s rays transfer energy to plants. Additionally, the Sun’s energy can be converted to electricity. But what about the use of Solar energy? The Diné people who live on the reservation find it difficult and costly to invest in electricity to their home. For this reason’s many live without the resources to make life a little easier. Instead, life is a little more strenuous to be able to get resources needed. Such as water, many Dine people haul water from the mountain or water wells. Food is stored in cool rooms. In addition, drought is also going to be a bigger problem as we face climate change.

Solar Panels

A Solar panel is a device that collects the energy from the Sun, often known as Photo-voltaic (PV) panels.  Solar panels purpose is to absorb solar energy to generate electricity in homes, so it can power lights in a home. It would help many people to be able to have lights in home. But solar panels are expensive. There are some challenges that many are faced with when using solar panels, such as how much energy is stored, or what happens when it is cloudy? Use of solar energy is costly, but it is than having nothing. Among people thinking about this is and see this as an issue Brett Isaac, who works on the Navajo Reservation. Brett is a Native American, he is of the Diné Nation and of the Hopi Tribe. He received his Master Degree in Business from Arizona State University. He is the founder of Shonto Energy and currently works with Navajo Power Energy. His job is basically to help many native people on the reservation, especially on the Navajo Reservation, to get access to electricity or power in their homes using solar panels. His job is selling and installing solar panels for the Navajo people. He has helped many people get access to power through solar panels and is quite happy because most people from homes that had no energy at all. Life is harder without electricity.  In an interview and talk to the YNI seminar, Brett shared his passion to help the Navajo people to use or convert to solar panels for lighting or heating homes. He has seen many homes without electricity and has the compassion to reach out to these homes to use solar panels. With the monthly bill of electricity is also a good reason, he believes it also helps to cut down the cost of living. Brett is also a nephew of mine through my older brother. His father would have been extremely proud of his work. So, for this unit, I hope and plan to have him as a guest speaker for my class and to do a show-and-tell about solar panels. Students learn best through hands on and visual aids.

Many people feel fortunate to even get light into their homes. Other resources are also helped by using the Sun’s energy to generate electricity, such as operating a microwave, keeping food in a cooler or refrigerator. As we move into a more modernize lifestyle we are depending on many resources, however, this can also be. What do I mean by harmful? Collecting fossil fuels to run electricity is harming the earth; this is another problem that will need to be addressed as well. One way to help the Earth is to move toward Solar Energy and tore it to supply ours homes.

Values and Belief of the Dine People of the Sun

Just about in every culture, there are myths about the Sun. For example, in the Diné culture, there are beliefs about solar and lunar eclipses.  According to the Diné mythology, when there is an eclipse, the Sun and Moon are engaged in the Sun renewing itself. The Sun is considered to be dying, but able to renew itself and live. During this period, the Diné people are supposed be at home and be awake. On the Navajo Reservation, the president of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez, encourages and calls his employees to have a late start to work or even gives them a day off. This is great because it gives people the opportunity to stay home or carry out their traditions and the beliefs with respect to the Sun. The Dine people are not allowed to view eclipses, or be involved in certain actions during the eclipse, whether it be solar or lunar eclipse.  The eclipses are considered sacred and can be a taboo to work, as in the case for some other cultures too. The Diné cultural belief is that if one were to look at the eclipse, eat at that time, or basically be disrespectful, there would be consequences. It would affect one’s mental and physical abilities. In the western science, the perspective is different. The average rate for an eclipse to occur is every year and half. ⁶ Basically, this is when Moon or the Earth is aligned and blocks the light onto earth. This is true for both solar and lunar eclipse. Solar eclipse is when the sunlight is blocked by the Moon, and the lunar eclipse is when the Earth blocks the sunlight to the Moon. People get to view this depending on where they are able to get the best view. “Eclipse of the Sun occur when the moon blocks our view of the Sun. Thus, the Earth-Moon-Sun form a straight line. Such an alignment is a form of “Syzygy,” which is a wonderful word for alignment of three celestial objects.”⁷ It is also a time when many scientists study the Sun.

The astronomers who are most interested study the sun during solar eclipses. There are other people that enjoy and look forward to view the eclipse. They are curious about the Sun as well. What is observed? As you may already know, looking at the Sun is bad for your eyes. You can even lose your vision because the Sun can burn your eyes if you look straight at it. So, a total eclipse makes it a little safer to look at the Sun.  As the moon blocks the sunlight, the corona of the Sun appears and can be seen with e the naked eye. One can sometimes catch a solar flare during an eclipse. During an eclipse animals and birds become quiet. It almost seems as they have connection with the Sun and know what to do. The land also becomes pale to dark during an eclipse. The eclipse does not just happen all at the same time for every are on earth. It depends on where one is. The Sun and the Earth as well as the moon follows a trail. This is how the eclipse are pretty much predicted.

From the perspective of many Native Americans, as well as other indigenous cultures, eclipses are a time of spiritual happenings. In this unit, the students will gain a deeper knowledge of how the Sun is viewed by the Diné people and how to show respect for the Sun. Students will become knowledgeable about how the Sun and learn to connect themselves to all living things.  The Johonaa’ei, known as the Sun in the Diné language, deserves the respect of all as it supports life. In the Diné people believe that one should arise with the Sun. As one wakes up at dawn, white corn or yellow corn is offered to the holy people and the Sun. It is believed that that is what the Sun expects from the people for each day. Then the Johonaa’ei or the Sun bestows good blessing that one has prayed for. The Sun is the way to strengthen the mind and body. If one should sleep after the Sun has risen, the Sun will still bless, but sees that the people still sleeping want to remain sleeping. So, in a way, the Sun blesses with sickness if that is what he sees. For this reason, the elders and people long ago were up before the Sun to get the good blessings.

Most indigenous people, even without scientific knowledge, have stories that date back in time about the Sun and the Universe. The stories and songs are embedded in their culture and tradition. I can hear the songs sung by my grandfather about the Sun, the Earth, the stars. This makes me believe that Native American already knew about the existence of the Universe, also that the Sun and the Earth are round because their lives are lived and done through circle in respect. According to the Navajo perspective, the Sun is the most powerful deity among all creations.  In the Navajo culture, the Sun is considered a male father and is known as the Sun Carrier, while the moon is considered the female. She is known as the moon carrier. According to the Navajo Mythology, they live in pairs and work in pairs. They follow each other. Other culture finds that inaccurate, but today, it is known that they do work in pairs.⁸ One gives us day and the other gives us night. The journey through life has songs about the Sun as well. This is a way one would follow the path through Hozho (Beauty Way), which is the path to eternal happiness and good health. The Sun is important to all life on Earth.