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What Is Our Sun Made Of?

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Sun Unleashes Impressive Solar Flare
This snapshot from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a stunning prominence associated with a Sept. 8, 2010 solar flare. (Image credit: NASA/SDO)

The sun is mostly composed of the elements hydrogen (H) and helium (He). By mass the composition of the sun is 92.1% hydrogen and 7.9% helium. Various metals make up less than 0.1% of the mass of the sun.

The temperature of the sun’s surface is about 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit (5,726 degrees Celsius).

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