Abstract:
This chapter provides an over view of: (1) Processes in the solar core and corona; (2) The Sun’s place in the galaxy and universe and uniqueness of the Sun for life on earth; (3) The Sun’s role in Olber’s paradox (darkness of night sky) which gave the first clue about the finiteness of the universe, crucial for cosmology; (4) Discovery of Helium in the Sun and its importance for cosmology; (5) Heavy-element abundances in the Sun compared with stellar abundances; (6) Importance of the solar neutrino problem and its final resolution in the Sudbury detector; (7) The Sun’s role in the detection of Dark matter and the current status of axions, wimps etc.; (8) The future evolution of the Sun and its effect on Earth.