What causes a "falling star"? - NASA
Meteors are commonly called falling stars or shooting stars. If any part of the meteoroid survives burning up and actually hits the Earth, that remaining bit is then called a meteorite. At certain times of year, …
StarChild: Meteoroids - NASA
The chance of seeing a meteor with the unaided eye increases after midnight. People often refer to meteors as "falling" or "shooting" stars. The brightest of the meteors are called fireballs. Sonic booms …
StarChild: The Asteroid Belt - NASA
An asteroid is a bit of rock. It can be thought of as what was "left over" after the Sun and all the planets were formed. Most of the asteroids in our solar system can be found orbiting the Sun between the …
What makes stars shine - NASA
StarChild Question of the Month for September 1999 Question: What makes the Sun shine? Answer: The simple answer is that deep inside the core of the Sun, enough protons can collide into each …
StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers - NASA
May 14, 2018 · StarChild is a learning center for young astronomers ages 5-13 to learn about the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and the universe beyond. Use the links above to explore the site's …
What are constellations? - NASA
The stars in this easily-observed constellation are at VERY different distances from Earth! At different times of year, different constellations can be seen in the sky. Different constellations can also be …
Why do stars twinkle? - NASA
You will notice that stars closer to the horizon will appear to twinkle more than other stars. This is because there is a lot more atmosphere between you and a star near the horizon than between you …
StarChild: Quasars
The black holes may provide quasars with their energy. Quasars are so bright that they drown out the light from all other stars in the same galaxy. The word quasar is short for quasi-stellar radio source. …
StarChild: Quasars
Quasars give off enormous amounts of energy - they can be a trillion times brighter than the Sun! Quasars are believed to produce their energy from massive black holes in the center of the galaxies …
Star Art - NASA
Star Art - An Introduction to Myths of Different Cultures Star watching has occupied humans from the earliest times. Our ancestors studied the night sky and saw shapes and patterns among the stars. …