What is the Sun? The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System, about 150 million kilometres from Earth. The Sun mostly consists of hydrogen and helium. Its mass accounts for more than 99% of the total mass of the Solar System. Scientists used to think that chemical reactions powered the Sun, but this could not explain how it had managed to stay ‘burning’ for millions of years. It is now known that nuclear fusion is the process that releases the Sun’s energy.
What are comets? The planets travel around the Sun in near-circular orbits. Comets are celestial objects that also travel around the Sun, but in very elliptical orbits. The head of a comet is a lump of ice and dust, a few kilometres in diameter. For most of its orbit, a comet is a long way from the Sun. The tail of the comet only appears when the its orbit passes nearest the Sun. The tail consists of gas and dust that are released from the comet by the heat of the Sun.
How are black holes formed? The end of the life cycle of really massive stars is different to that of massive stars. After a really massive red giant collapses in a supernova explosion, it leaves an object so dense that nothing, not even light, can escape its gravitational pull. This is called a black hole. Some scientists believe that there are black holes at the centre of galaxies. If light cannot escape from a black hole, then how can a black hole be observed?
Questions about stars 1. What two elements make up most of the Sun? hydrogen and helium 2. What is a nebula? A huge cloud of gas and dust from which a star is born. 3. What process has allowed the Sun to emit light and heat energy over thousands of million of years? nuclear fusion 4. Which is the most dense, a white dwarf or a neutron star? neutron star 5. What is the fate of a star similar to the Sun? the Sun red giant white dwarf
Glossary (2/2) nuclear fusion – The process in which lighter atomic nuclei join together to make heavier atomic nuclei and a massive amount of energy is released. red giant – The huge red star formed when a star expands and shines less brightly as it starts to die. red shift – A shift in the wavelength of light towards the red end of the spectrum. It occurs when the light source is moving away from the observer and is evidence for an expanding Universe. supernova – The huge explosion that occurs when a massive red giant is at the end of its life. white dwarf – The core that remains after the outer layers of a small red giant drift away.