A Deadly Fault in Our Stars?
by Sayra Garcia, age 12
While they might all look similar from Earth,
stars actually differ in size, color, and temperature. However, all
stars are born in and end the same way.
Stars are created when gravity draws together
dust and gas into balls, forming nebulae. As nebulae heat up and gain
energy, they begin to emit heat, shine, and illuminate the night sky.
Young stars typically stay together in
clusters. Though the naked eye cannot perceive it from Earth, these
clusters actually contain stars that are many different colors and
sizes. Large stars are white and hot while small stars are red and
cool. Because of their size, larger stars create energy much faster
and become much hotter than smaller ones. Stars that fall in the
middle of this size spectrum, like the Sun, appear yellow.
Since large stars use energy quickly, they have
shorter life spans than small stars do. The Sun, which has been
shining for approximately five billion years, is halfway through its
life span. Like the Sun, each star will ultimately fade.
[Source:
100
Things You Should Know About Space
]
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