First of all there is nothing little about stars. They only look little because they are really far in the sky. These stars are balls of burning gases that release energy. Stars have always fascinated children because they twinkle. How do they get this twinkle? The truth is that they do not twinkle in real but appear to twinkle when seen from Earth. The starlight enters Earth’s atmosphere in a straight line, but winds in our atmosphere change the path of the starlight constantly. So for a second the star is there and then it’s not, hence the twinkle.

Did you know that our Sun is also a star? Yes it is ! It appears like a big and bright ball of fire because it is very close to Earth. Sun gives us energy and we will stop existing without the Sun.

Stars come in different sizes. The smallest of the stars are called neutron stars. Some neutron stars are so small that their radius is only about 6 miles. Some others are so large that Sun would be just a tiny dot compared to them. These huge stars are called supergiants. Stars can have different colours. Our Sun is an average sized yellowish star. Stars, which are smaller than our Sun, are reddish, and larger stars are blue.

The patterns that the stars make in the night sky have interested humans since the ancient times. These starry drawings or constellations have different names. In olden times, people used to read these constellations and predict future. Wow! That’s cool.. I wish I could know what would happen tomorrow!  But these days astronomers use constellations to map the stars.

Did you know now a days you can name a star after your loved one. I’m not kidding! How about naming a bright star ‘kinooze’ ;)

A star studded quiz for you :

Have you wondered where do stars disappear in the morning? Can’t guess? Read about mystery of disappearing stars.

Which is the brightest star in the sky? It is the Pole star often also known as Dhruvtara.