The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived.

It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life.

The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilisations.