Fourth Grade
Worksheets
What Is a Star?
The picture shows one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way Galaxy -- ten million times brighter than our sun. The red color is caused by the dust around it. Credit: NASA and Don F. Figer (UCLA)
Life on Earth depends on the sun. It gives us light and heat. Nothing could live on Earth without the sun. Our sun is a star. It is the only star in our solar system, but it is only one of many stars in space. How many stars do you think there are? Take a guess! Then read the rest of this story to find out if you are right.
A star is a huge ball of gas in space. The gas is held together as a ball because of gravity. Stars give off enormous amounts of light. They give off other kinds of energy, too.
