Passage: The bonfire from the opening image has a lot of thermal energy. Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of moving particles of matter, and the transfer of thermal energy is called heat. Thermal energy from the bonfire is transferred to the hands by thermal radiation. Thermal radiation is the transfer of thermal energy by waves that can travel through air or even through empty space, as shown in the Figure below . When the waves of thermal energy reach objects, they transfer the energy to the objects, causing them to warm up. This is how the fire warms the hands of someone sitting near the bonfire. This is also how the sun’s energy reaches Earth and heats its surface. Without the energy radiated from the sun, Earth would be too cold to support life as we know it. Answer: thermal radiation from the sun
How does heat travel from the sun to the earth?