Book 2, Question 138
Why Do Stars Look So Small?
On a clear night, stars look like tiny sparkles. But they are not tiny at all! They are suns, just very far away! Our sun is a star. It looks big because it is close.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- The nearest star to the Sun is Proxima Centauri, about 4.25 light-years away.
- Even though it is the closest star, Proxima Centauri is too dim to see without a telescope.
- Proxima Centauri is part of a family of three stars, with Alpha Centauri A and B.
- Even through the Hubble Space Telescope, Proxima Centauri looks like a tiny point of light.
- Astronomers think the universe could hold up to one septillion stars. That is a one followed by 24 zeros.
- Stars are giant balls of hot gas, mostly hydrogen with some helium.
Sources: NASA Science, NASA Science, NASA Science, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Why don't photos from space show stars?
The camera exposure is too short. Things like Earth or the Moon are so much brighter than the faraway stars that the stars don't show up.