3-4: Sun and Stars (Virtual Field Trip)
A. Sun and Stars
Ekta shared that our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains billions of stars. The Sun is one of the many stars in the Milky Way. Some stars are smaller than the Sun, and some are larger than the Sun. But have you ever noticed that the Sun appears to be the largest star? Why do you think that is?Â
B. Watch and Learn
Let’s hear from Ekta about why the Sun seems larger and brighter than other stars.Â
The Sun seems like the brightest star because it’s the closest star to Earth. How do you think Earth’s distance from the Sun helps us survive on our planet?Â
C. Use the Diagram
You also learned that astronomers use telescopes, models, and simulations to study our universe. All these tools have helped us understand the distance between the Sun and Earth. Â
The Sun is the nearest star to Earth, and the next nearest stars are over four light years away! Look at the Stars Distance from Earth model below to learn more about some of the stars that are located closest to Earth.
Directions: Use the Stars Distance from Earth diagram to answer the following true/false questions.Â
Did you notice in the diagram that Star B is bigger than the Sun? However, if you look into the night sky, it will look a lot smaller. This is because Star B is six light years away, and the Sun is less than one light year away.Â
D. Star Size Comparison
Watch the video below to see a comparison of the Sun and another star. The first star is the Sun, and the second star is another, much bigger star. The second star is much larger, but it looks a lot smaller in the sky because it is very far from Earth. Remember, there are much larger stars in our galaxy, but the Sun looks like the biggest and brightest because it is the closest star to Earth. The other stars are light years away.
E. What is a light year?
Unsure how much a light year is? Click on the video to hear the answer from Ekta.
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