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Astronomy Year / Week 05 / Friday
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Week 05 · Planet or Star?

Friday

Our closest star
// Wanderers and twinklers
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: Our closest star

Rocket squints at the bright day sky. "If the Sun is a star, why is it so big?"

Raven thinks. "What do you notice about a car light far away?"

Nova glows. "Hint: near things look big and bright. Far things look tiny."

The Sun is a star

The Sun is the closest star to Earth.

It is close, so it looks big and very bright.

Other stars are much, much farther away.

So they look like tiny dots.

Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach us.

Safety first
Never look at the Sun.
Not with sunglasses. Not with binoculars. Not with a telescope.
The Sun can hurt your eyes very fast.
CLOSE AND FAR
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Why does the Sun look so much bigger than other stars?
Why do other stars look like tiny dots?
Star factTrue or false?
The Sun is a star.?
The Sun is the closest star to Earth.?
Looking at the Sun is safe if you squint.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe Sun is a star. It is too bright to look at.

Near looks big

A car light down the street looks small.

Up close, the same light looks big and bright.

Stars work the same way.

Many stars are bigger than the Sun. They are just much farther.

OUR STAR
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
About how long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
Are some stars bigger than the Sun?
A light is far down the street. How does it look?
What is the Sun?
Near and farTrue or false?
Near things look bigger than far things.?
The Sun is the biggest star there is.?
Other stars are much farther than the Sun.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEDistance changes how big and bright things look.
Try it
Hold a ball close to your face.
Now hold it at arm's length.
Ask a grown-up to hold it across the room.
How does the size seem to change?
Safety first
Do not throw the ball indoors.
NEAR TO FAR
  • Start with the nearest.
  • Tap a card, then tap its spot.
1Nearest
2Middle
3Farthest
Draw the Sun as our closest star. Draw faraway stars as tiny dots.
For a grown-up
Optional: The Size of Space by Neal Agarwal compares many stars.
Type neal.fun/size-of-space into a web browser.
Its privacy policy says it is not for children under 13. Open it for your child and explore together.

You figured out why the Sun looks big! Tomorrow night: planet or star?

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