Have you ever wondered what our sun looked like when it was young?
Although we know the sun to be an unchanging, and even predictable source, of light in our skies, its youthful version some 4.6 billion years ago was quite active. During those formative years, our star spewed solar flares every week or so, despite shining only about a third as bright as it does now. Scientists also suspect that even though the early sun exhibited a dim stature, it kept the then-young Earth warm enough for life to emerge. Then, as the sun began to burn hydrogen into helium through nuclear fusion, it became hotter and brighter over millions of years, evolving into the largely quiet and brilliant star we know it to be today.
