Most stars in the universe are bigger than the sun, and some are even bigger than the entire solar system. But not all stars are as big as the sun, or even as big as the earth.
The smallest kind of star, called a white dwarf, may be only about a thousand miles in diameter, less than half the size of the moon.
And certain kinds of burnt-out stars may be only ten or 20 miles across.
Related Posts
-
How Are Stars Born, How Are New Stars Formed From Clouds of Dust and Gases, and How Do We Detect New Stars?
Space is full of clouds of dust and gases, known as nebulae. The dust and gases in nebulae have a certain mass, and we know, from Newton's law of gravity, that any object…
-
How Do Stars Move Across the Universe and Why Do Stars Move Across the Sky At Night?
Traditionally, people have thought of the stars as immovable and permanent, but they do move. We know the stars move because we know that the universe is expanding. But Earth is also moving…
-
How Do Stars Get Their Names and Do All the Stars In Constellations Also Have Names?
Stars have names, but just like people, stars can have official names and nicknames. For instance, the brightest star in the constellation Leo has long been called Regulus. But not every star has…
-
How Do Stars Rise and Set When Seen From the Earth’s Equator and Why Are There No Circumpolar Stars?
If you are stargazing at the equator, your celestial horizon is at right angles to the celestial equator. The North Star hovers on your northern celestial horizon. All the stars seem to rise…
-
What Are Stars Made Of and How Do Astronomers Determine What Stars Are Made Of?
A star is a big luminous ball of plasma held together by gravity. Stars are made mostly of hydrogen and helium, along with small amounts of calcium, iron, and titanium oxide. The amounts…
-
Why Do Stars Shine and How Do Stars Use Hydrogen To Produce Energy That Radiates Into Outer Space?
For most of its life, a star shines due to thermonuclear fusion in its core releasing energy that traverses the star's interior which then radiates outward. Stars are mostly made up of hydrogen…
