Do you know what is a star made of?

 The bright star we see in the sky are made of gas like hydrogen and helium and also stellar dust! A star produces and emits light because of its nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen and helium in its core. The energy generated in the core provides the pressure necessary to prevent the star from collapsing due to its own weight. Do you know the star closer to our Earth? It is sun!

 How is a star formed?

 A star is formed from a nebula, which is a cloud of gas and dust. The cloud collapses under its own gravitational attraction and the core starts heating up and gives rise to a ‘Porto star’. It is this Porto star, which eventually becomes a star, about gathering more gas and dust. How does a star take to grow up? Quite long! A star about the size of our Sun will need about 50 million years to mature from the beginning stages to adulthood!

 Why do star twinkle and, why do some star in the sky appear bright while others appear dim?

 Ever gazed at the sky, admiring the beautiful twinkling stars? Stars do not actually twinkle but just appear to, when observed from the Earth's surface, due to the effect of the atmosphere. When light from a star enters the atmosphere, it is affected by the factors like wind and temperature that causes the twinkling effect. Stars come in varying sizes and brightness levels. A star appears bright or dim, depending on its distance from Earth. The brightness of a star also depends on its size, too. A larger star will appear brighter than a smaller one.

 Do star change color?

 The color of stars depends on their temperature, which in turn depends on the changes happening on the surface of the star. As a star evolves and pass through different phases, it experiences changes in temperature and hence a change in color. For example, towards the end of a star's life, the temperature of the core increases, and it starts converting helium into hydrogen. The star then expands and turn into a red giant.

 What is a constellation?

 A constellation is a group of stars that appear close together and form a particular imaginary pattern. If you have looked up at the sky, you might also have seen stars forming strange shapes! However, these stars may be light years away and not related to each other in any way. There are 88 officially recognized constellations. Different constellations are visible from different hemispheres of the Earth and at different times of the year.

 Which one is the nearest star to our solar system?

 Proxima Centauri, b, is the nearest star to our Solar System. This star is a part of a triple star system which includes Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. Our neighbor, Proxima Centauri, is about one tenth the size of the Sun and is located about 4.3 light years away!

 What is a nova and supernova?

 A nova refers to be a phenomenon of sudden brightening star. It occurs when a white dwarf star is in proximity to another star. In such a case, the white dwarf can pull material from the other star and nuclear fusion might occur, causing a rise in temperature and subsequently brightness. Ancient astronomers, who did not have modern equipment and technology of today, simply observed a new star in a place where there were no stars before. This was how it got the name 'Stella Nova' which means 'New Star' Supernova refers to the brightness observed when a massive star dies and explodes. Do you know that sometimes the light emitted by a supernova is so bright that it can outshine the whole galaxy!