and illumination to mankind. It was the center of a popular cult among Romans, who would stand at dawn to catch the first rays of sunshine as they prayed. The celebration of the winter solstice (which influenced Christmas) was part of the Roman cult of the unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus). Christian churches were built with an orientation so that the congregation faced toward the sunrise in the East. Tonatiuh, the Aztec god of the sun, was usually depicted holding arrows and a shield and was closely associated with the practice of human sacrifice. The sun goddess Amaterasu is the most important deity in the Shinto religion, and she is believed to be the direct ancestor of all Japanese emperors. See also Circled dot other uses of the Sun symbol and similar symbols Notes References Further reading External links Nasa SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) satellite National Solar Observatory Astronomy Cast: The Sun A collection of spectacular images of the Sun from various institutions (The Boston Globe) Satellite observations of solar luminosity Sun|Trek, an educational website about the Sun The Swedish 1-meter Solar Telescope, SST An animated explanation of the structure of the Sun (University of Glamorgan) Animation – The Future of the Sun Solar Conveyor Belt Speeds Up – NASA – images, link to report on Science Sun in Ultra High Definition NASA 11 January 2015 Album of images and videos by Seán Doran, based on SDO imagery NASA 5-year timelapse video of the Sun NASA 10-year timelapse video of the Sun Articles containing video clips Astronomical objects known since antiquity G-type main-sequence stars Light sources Plasma physics Space plasmas Sun