The crucial element to any planetary system, including our own, is the star at its center. In our case, it is the Sun. It is important to understand how the Sun works, so that we can in turn understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System. By understanding our own Sun and planets better, we can then apply this knowledge to other stars and planetary systems. The Sun is a complex entity, with several layers ranging from the core at its center where the major fusion processes occur, through the radiative and convective zones, and finishing with the photosphere (the layer that we see), the chromosphere, and the spectacular and incredibly hot corona. Most of the Sun's activity can be attributed to magnetism. Jared was very attentive in class today, and again demonstrated such curiosity and asked such hard questions ... They were fun to answer!