It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: a ring of satellites, assembled in space by robots, collecting energy directly from the Sun and beaming it down to Earth through radio waves.

But this was not dreamt up by a mad supervillain. The Space Energy Initiative, a collaboration of industry and academics, insists it could be in place as early as 2035. They estimate that each satellite could produce around the same amount of power as a nuclear plant.

Some think this is a sign that we have overlooked the Sun for too long. They point out that until the modern era, most of the world was devoted to the Sun.

In Ancient Egypt a large number of gods were associated with the Sun, the most famous of which was Ra, who travelled across the sky in a boat and fought the demon king Apep.

And many religions today still involve elements of Sun worship. HindusFollowers of Hinduism, an Indian religion with more than one billion followers. perform the ritual of Surya Namaskar, a series of gestures of the body and hands that are intended to greet the Sun.

What brings these ideas together is the idea that the Sun gives us life and protects us from the darkness. And both these things are, after all, entirely true.

The Sun was the origin of life. Scientists now believe that UVA form of radiation produced by the sun and artificial sources. light played an essential role in creating the building blocks of life on Earth.

And it is good for our health, too. Studies have found that exposure to sunlight makes us feel happy and gives us vital vitamins.

Yet as it brings life, so too does the Sun bring death. Every year around 57,000 people die of skin cancer, which is associated with exposure to sunlight.¹

And we know the Sun will eventually destroy the Earth. As it dies, it will expand to consume Mercury, Venus, and likely the Earth as well.

Is it any surprise that some feel such great power is worth worshipping?

Yes: Many of the Earth's greatest civilisations were devoted to the Sun. And today we know more than ever before about its power to give and to take away life. Surely it is worthy of our praise?

No: Sun-worship might have made sense to our ancestors, who could see that the big disc in the sky brought warmth and light, but did not understand how. Today we are too rational for such things.

Or... It is not necessary to worship the Sun, but we should clearly respect it and be curious about it. It has much more life left to give us, if we can figure out how to harness it.