Stars

1. Stars Mrs. Breeding 6th Grade

2. What is the difference between a star and a planet? • When we look up at the night star it is hard to see the difference. We know that stars twinkle but planets don’t. Why?????

3. A Star is Born! • Stars are born and they die. • They are born in huge, cold clouds of gas and dust, known as nebulas. • When a clump of material becomes so hot and dense a nuclear reaction occurs. • When the temperature reaches 10 million degrees Celsius, the clump becomes a new star.

4. Different types of stars • Red Stars- Coolest • Blue Stars- Hottest • Yellow Stars (Sun)- In between • Stars come in many different sizes, our sun is a medium size star.

5. Galaxies • Nearly all stars belong to gigantic groups known as galaxies. • There are different galaxies of different shapes and sizes. • Spiral • Elliptical • Irregular • The Universe is expanding, most galaxies are moving apart at high speed.

6. Black Holes • Black holes are formed when massive stars run out of fuel to burn and collapse inward into the shape of a sphere. • A black hole is an area within the universe in which the force of gravity prevents anything from escaping including light. • Most scientist agree that black holes form in the center of galaxies

7. Star Death • Most stars take millions of years to die. • When a star like the sun has burned all of its hydrogen fuel , it can expand and become a red giant. • After puffing off its outer layers, the star collapses to form a very dense white dwarf. One teaspoon of material from a white dwarf would weigh up to 100 tons.

8. Red Super Giants • Stars heavier than eight times the mass of the sun end their lives very suddenly. • When they run out of fuel,They swell into red supergiants. Eventually they blow themselves apart in a huge supernova! • For a week or so, the supernova outshines all of the other stars in its galaxy. • The elements made inside the supergiant are scattered and this stardust eventually makes other stars and planets.

9. Partner talk • What is the difference between a red, blue and yellow star? • What is a supernova? • Where are stars born? • What are the three different types of galaxies?

10. Compare and Contrast • How are stars different from planets? Defend your answer.