The Sun is made of cheese
Unchecked
| The Sun is made of cheese | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "The Sun is made of cheese, such as cheddar." | |
| Domain | Science & Space |
| Tactic | Satire or Parody |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1540s |
| Origin | No original source for a cheese Sun was found. It looks like a riff on the old English proverb that the Moon is made of green cheese. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-04 |
| Further reading: books on Science & Space | |
This joke claim echoes the old saying that the Moon is made of green cheese. We found no record of anyone seriously arguing that the Sun is made of cheese. The idea circulates as humor, in children's questions and in internet jokes.
The verdict is false. Space agencies and science educators describe the Sun as a ball of hot plasma, mostly hydrogen and helium. Cheese is a food made from milk. It does not survive anywhere near the Sun's temperatures.
What the evidence shows
[edit]- NASA's description. NASA says the Sun is made of super-hot, electrically charged gas called plasma. It describes the Sun as a huge ball of hydrogen and helium held together by its own gravity.
- Measured composition. Caltech's Cool Cosmos says most of the Sun's gas is hydrogen (about 70%) and helium (about 28%). Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen make up 1.5%. The remaining 0.5% is small amounts of other elements such as neon, iron, silicon, magnesium and sulfur.
- How the Sun shines. The Sun shines because nuclear fusion in its core turns hydrogen into helium. Nothing in that process involves dairy.
- Likely joke origin. The cheese joke seems to come from the old proverb about the Moon. The earliest written record of that proverb is John Heywood's 1546 Proverbs, according to the Cheese Professor. A cheese Sun appears to be a later variation.
Why it matters
[edit]The claim is harmless and funny. It shows how a centuries-old proverb about gullibility keeps producing new versions. It also gives a quick way to explain what stars are made of and how we know.