[1] the nearest star to earth is the sun In a very broad sense, a star is simply one of those twinkling points of light you can see in the night sky Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night
Their immense distances from earth make them appear as fixed points of light.
How does a star work
How do they form, live, and eventually die Learn more about these distant objects and their major importance in the universe. These large, swelling stars are known as red giants But there are different ways a star’s life can end, and its fate depends on how massive the star is.
The simplest way to describe a star is that it is a great ball of fire, but it is more complicated than that A star is a giant ball of hydrogen turning into helium through nuclear fusion. The apparent brightness of a star is measured by its apparent magnitude, which is the brightness of a star with respect to the star’s luminosity, distance from earth, and the altering of the star’s light as it passes through earth’s atmosphere. A star is a huge sphere of very hot, glowing gas
Stars produce their own light and energy by a process called nuclear fusion
Fusion happens when lighter elements are forced to become heavier elements When this happens, a tremendous amount of energy is created causing the star to heat up and shine Stars come in a variety of sizes and colors. Where do stars come from
Every star forms in a huge cloud of gas and dust Over time, gravity causes the cloud to contract, drawing the gas closer and closer together As more gas accumulates at the center, it becomes denser and pressure increases This causes it to heat up and begin to glow.
