Name: ________ Date: _______

Stars

1. What is a star?

2. What is the difference between a star and a planet?

3. What is the closest star to Earth?

4. What is the largest star known to exist?

5. What is a supernova?

6. What is a black hole?

7. What is a white dwarf?

8. What is a red giant?

9. What is the life cycle of a star?

10. What is the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?

11. What is the difference between a main sequence star and a giant star?

12. What is the difference between a blue star and a red star?

13. What is the temperature of the sun?

14. What is the sun made of?

15. What is the solar wind?

16. What is a solar flare?

17. What is a coronal mass ejection?

18. What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

19. What is the difference between a constellation and an asterism?

20. What is the difference between a star cluster and a galaxy?

Bonus Question: What is your favorite star and why?

Answer Key:

1. A star is a luminous ball of gas that emits light and heat.

2. A star is a luminous ball of gas that emits light and heat, while a planet is a celestial body that orbits a star and does not emit light or heat.

3. The closest star to Earth is the sun.

4. The largest star known to exist is UY Scuti.

5. A supernova is a powerful explosion that occurs when a star runs out of fuel and collapses.

6. A black hole is a region of space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.

7. A white dwarf is a small, dense star that is the remnant of a low-mass star.

8. A red giant is a large, luminous star that is in the late stages of its life cycle.

9. The life cycle of a star includes the formation, main sequence, red giant, planetary nebula, and white dwarf stages.

10. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a graph that shows the relationship between a star’s temperature, luminosity, and size.

11. A main sequence star is a star that is in the middle of its life cycle, while a giant star is in the later stages of its life cycle.

12. Blue stars are hotter and brighter than red stars.

13. The temperature of the sun is about 5,500 degrees Celsius.

14. The sun is made of hydrogen and helium.

15. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles that flows from the sun.

16. A solar flare is a sudden, intense burst of radiation from the sun.

17. A coronal mass ejection is a massive burst of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun.

18. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, while a lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes between the sun and moon.

19. A constellation is a group of stars that form a recognizable pattern, while an asterism is a smaller group of stars within a constellation.

20. A star cluster is a group of stars that are gravitationally bound together, while a galaxy is a large group of stars, gas, and dust that are held together by gravity.

Bonus Question: Answer will vary.