The Sun Is Kind of a Big Deal

There are many different colors of stars. Which characteristic determines the color of a star?

• temperature

• size and shape

• actual brightness

• distance from Earth

The sun is a medium-size star, but it appears much larger than other stars. Why does the sun appear to be so large?

• The sun is hotter than other stars.

• The sun produces more light than other stars.

• The sun is much closer to Earth than other stars.

• The sun is affected by Earth’s gravity more than other stars are.

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All visible stars in the night sky are many times larger than Earth.

Why do they look like tiny points of light in the night sky?

• They are moving very fast.

• The atmosphere blocks most of their light.

• The stars visible at night are located very far from Earth.

• Most of the light from stars is absorbed by galaxies, so it does not reach Earth.

When compared to other stars, the sun is not very unusual. However, the sun is very important to humans.

What makes the sun more important than the other stars?

• Unlike other stars, the sun is very large.

• When compared to other stars, the sun is the hottest.

• Unlike other stars, the sun is the right color for living things.

• When compared to other stars, the sun is very close to Earth.

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Eva looks through a telescope at the night sky. She sees several stars. Which conclusion did she likely make?

• The sun looks brighter than the stars because it is closest to Earth.

• The sun looks brighter than the stars because stars do not make light.

• The stars appear dimmer than the sun because they are smaller than the sun.

• The stars appear brighter than the sun because there are more of them compared to just one sun.

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CCSS.RI.4.8

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Harry made this model of the sun and Earth.

Which of these facts does the model let Harry demonstrate?

• The length of Earth’s year is 365 days.

• The seasons change on Earth as it orbits the sun.

• The sun lights one-half of Earth’s surface at a time.

• The time between one morning and the next is 24 hours.

How would the sun look to people if it were farther from Earth?

• dimmer and smaller

• brighter and smaller

• brighter and larger

• dimmer and larger

A telescope took a picture of four stars. Each star is the same size and type.

Which star is closest to Earth?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Select each statement about the sun that is true.

• The sun is a planet.

• The sun gives off its own light.

• The sun is larger than all the planets and stars.

• The sun is closer to Earth than to the star Polaris.

Billy is studying about stars. He made a model of Earth and some stars people can see from Earth.

Which statement describes the stars shown in Billy’s model?

• They appear the same size from Earth.

• They are all about the same distance from Earth.

• The sun is much closer to Earth than the other stars are.

• From Earth, they all appear exactly the same brightness.