SUN AND OTHER STARS

True or false: the sun is the closest star to Earth.

• True

• False

A star is:

• a massive ball of hot gases emitting light and heat

• a planet that orbits the Sun

• a small rock in space

• a frozen body of ice and dust

The sun appears so large and bright compared to other stars because:

• it is much closer to Earth than other stars.

• it is the largest star in the universe.

• it produces more light than all other stars.

• it is made of a different material than other stars.

The distance light travels in a year is called a _________________

• light year

• parsec

• astronomical unit

• kilometer

What are two things that stars produce? ________________ and _________________.

• Light and heat

• Water and soil

• Oxygen and carbon dioxide

• Electricity and magnetism

Sirius appears brighter than Rigel even though it is much smaller because:

• Sirius is much closer to Earth than Rigel.

• Sirius is hotter than Rigel.

• Sirius emits more light than Rigel.

• Sirius is a larger star than Rigel.

What makes our sun special?

• It’s bigger than other stars

• It’s brighter than other stars

• It’s the right distance from Earth to support life

• It’s part of the Orion constellation

What can travel 186,000 miles per second?

• Light

• Sound

• Water

• Electricity

One way that ancient people used the stars and constellations was:

• to navigate and find directions

• to invent new languages

• to build houses

• to make clothing

A planisphere is useful for determining which constellations are visible in the sky at a certain time of year because:

• it shows the visible constellations for any date and time.

• it predicts the weather conditions for stargazing.

• it magnifies distant stars for easier viewing.

• it tracks the movement of planets across the sky.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1