This is the mini class/discussion we'll be having today in our studies and through the remainder of our unit. I'll also post some links to websites we'll be using as additional resources. Hope you enjoy and find some good info to help if you choose to teach along this topic!

Understanding stars

Stars were formed on the fourth day of creation. As we read and study the word of God, we can learn many things about the stars that are important to our daily lives. We know that there is a finite (countable) amount of stars in the sky, but can you count them all? Abram was told by God that his descendants would be as uncountable as the stars in the sky. Who can be counted among Abram descendants? Can you tell by looking at someone if they are one of Abram’s descendants? How often is that number changed or added to?

Some scientists estimate that there are at least 10 million trillion stars in the universe, but that number can only be an estimate because our equipment is not strong enough to see the end of the expanse of the universe. Scientists have discovered stars that cannot be seen using our most sophisticated equipment. These stars produce sounds, and by using mathematics and measuring gravitational force of stars, we can estimate where they would be located…but we cannot see them all.

Our nearest stars are so far away that if you traveled at the speed of light (7 miles per second) it would take you 115,000 years to reach them. We measure space distances in light years rather than miles, feet or inches. A light year is a unit of distance used to measure the space between stars. It is the distance traveled in one year by a pulse of light. One light year is 5.88 trillion miles. A jetliner traveling 500 mph would fly 1.34 million years to travel just one light year.

Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri are our nearest stars (Not counting the Sun). The three largest stars in our galaxy are: Mu Cephi (1500 times the sun), Betelgeuse (900 times the sun), and Antares (530 times the sun). These stars are so large, that they would more than fill the distance between the Sun and the Earth.

Stars are made of gases like Hydrogen and Helium. The temperatures in the middle of stars are so hot that nuclear reactions take place. This produces the light we see emanating from stars. The radiation produced by stars does not harm us because the atmosphere around the Earth filters out the harmful radiation produced by nearby stars, including the sun.

Astronomers use the evening and nighttime hours to study stars. Why? Stars are still in the same places during the daytime as they are at night. If you turn on a flashlight during the day while you are playing outside, can you see the light beam from the flashlight? It is the same with the stars. The light produced from the sun washes out the light produced by stars and makes it impossible to view during the daytime. Where you live can also play a factor in how well you can see stars. If you live in the city, you will have a harder time viewing dimmer stars than if you live in the country. A full moon may also make it difficult to view dim stars at night.

Depending on the time of the year, when you examine the night sky you will see different constellations, or groups of stars. If you live in North America and view the night sky, will you see the same constellations as your friend who lives in the Southern Hemisphere?  No, the tilt of the Earth depending on the season affects our ability to see all the constellations all the time.  Constellations exist in large groups, or families called galaxies. Our galaxy is the Milky Way. There are many other galaxies that have been discovered by astronomers.

Another job of an astronomer is cataloging stars that we already know exist. One way stars are cataloged is by magnitude or grade. First magnitude or first grade stars are the brightest. Here is a chart that shows how stars are classified:

1.       Very bright – First Magnitude

2.     Bright         -

3.     Fair            - Second Magnitude

4.     Medium       - Third Magnitude

5.     Faint           - Fourth Magnitude

6.     Very Faint   - Fifth Magnitude