Here's a breakdown:
Major Gases:
* Hydrogen (H): Accounts for approximately 70.6% of the Sun's mass.
* Helium (He): Makes up about 27.4% of the Sun's mass.
Minor Gases:
While hydrogen and helium dominate, the Sun also contains trace amounts of other elements, known as metals in astrophysics. These include:
* Oxygen (O)
* Carbon (C)
* Neon (Ne)
* Iron (Fe)
* Silicon (Si)
* Magnesium (Mg)
* Sulfur (S)
* Nickel (Ni)
* Calcium (Ca)
* Chromium (Cr)
* Sodium (Na)
These minor elements make up only a tiny fraction of the Sun's mass but are still important for understanding its structure, energy production, and evolution.
It's important to note that the Sun's composition isn't static. Nuclear fusion reactions in the core are constantly converting hydrogen into helium, gradually changing the Sun's composition over time.