Starter quiz
- What is the nearest star to us on Earth?
- the Moon
- the Sun ✓
- Proxima Centauri
- Betelgeuse
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- What is the Sun mainly made of?
- helium and hydrogen gas ✓
- glowing rocks
- lava
- liquid oxygen
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- What is a constellation in the night sky?
- all the stars we can see
- a group of stars in a pattern ✓
- the brightest star in the sky
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- How many planet Earths could you fit into the Sun?
- just one
- about ten
- about a hundred
- about a million ✓
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- Which of the following orbit the Sun?
- dwarf planets ✓
- asteroids ✓
- moons
- Jupiter ✓
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- How long does it take for light from the Sun to reach Earth?
- a few minutes ✓
- a few days
- a few months
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Exit quiz
- What is the Sun?
- a star ✓
- a planet
- a galaxy
- a very bright moon
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- Why do the stars in the night sky look different to the Sun, which is also a star?
- The Sun is a different kind of star.
- The Sun is a much bigger and brighter star than all other stars.
- The Sun is much closer to Earth than all other stars. ✓
- The Sun is a different colour to all other stars.
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- Match each keyword to the correct definition.
- universe⇔all of space and everything in it ✓
- solar system⇔a star and the objects (e.g. planets) in orbit around that star ✓
- galaxy⇔a cluster of billions of stars ✓
- star⇔a huge sphere of gas that gives out light ✓
- What is a light year?
- the time taken for light to travel one year
- the distance it would take to travel to the nearest star
- the distance light travels in one year ✓
- a distance of one year, for light
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- Starting with the smallest, put these in order of size from smallest to largest.
- 1⇔moon
- 2⇔planet
- 3⇔star
- 4⇔solar system
- 5⇔galaxy
- 6⇔universe
- Select the statements about stars that are true.
- Stars orbit the Sun at very great distances.
- Stars are hot and bright because of reactions happening within them. ✓
- Within a galaxy, stars are light years apart. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The Sun is a star, an extremely hot sphere of gas that emits light.
- The stars in the night sky are much smaller and dimmer than the Sun because they are much further away.
- A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. This is large enough to be suitable for distances in space.
- In the universe, stars are found in groups called galaxies, with billions of stars in each one.
- There are billions of galaxies in the universe.
Common misconception
The Sun is not a star.
Make it clear that the only reason the Sun looks different to the stars in the night sky is because it is so much closer to Earth. Use visual examples to show what the Sun and/or other stars would look like at greater distances.
Keywords
Star - A star is an extremely hot sphere of gas that emits light.
Light year - A light-year is the distance light travels in one year.
Billion - 1 billion = 1 000 000 000 (one thousand million).
Galaxy - A galaxy is a group of billions of stars.
Universe - The name for the whole of space and everything in it is the universe.
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