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Clouds of Fire: The Origin of Stars
Recommended
for
Upper Elementary Grades thru College
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are..." The question has intrigued humans for thousands of years. What is a star? Are all stars the same? How do stars shine? Clouds of Fire: The Origin of Stars answers these questions and explores the connection between the formation of stars and the formation of everything else in the Universe.
According to Greek philosopher Aristotle, celestial bodies did not change. Today, scientists know that the universe is constantly changing. In the 1860s, astronomers discovered that each star has a different pattern of dark lines in its rainbow spectrum. The patterns of these lines enable astronomers to find out what stars are made of. Yet another important tool for analyzing stars is color. Blue stars are considerably hotter than red stars. An average star like our Sun steadily burns its hydrogen fuel, creating a comfortable range of temperatures on Earth for billions of years to come. Smaller stars burn their fuel slowly and large stars explode after only a few million years.
In the long cycle of star birth and death, stars have created a blend of elements that gradually mixed with other gas and dust, forming our own solar system. "Clouds of Fire: The Origin of Stars" brings it all to life.
SC-05-4.6.2 - The Sun loses some of its energy by the emission of light to the Earth.
SC-05-4.6.4 – Light from stars can be split into its component colors by refraction.
SC-06-2.3.1 – Objects in the solar system move in regular and predictable motions.
SC-08-1.1.4 – Elements originate from star explosions and makeup all that is on Earth.
SC-08-2.3.4 – Our solar system was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
SC-HS-2.3.1 – Gravity is a force that holds the solar system and multiple star systems together.
SC-HS-2.3.2 – The universe was formed by the Big Bang. Hydrogen clumps grew into stars.
SC-HS-2.3.3 – Stars that explode at the end of their lives send out heavy elements.
SC-HS-2.3.4 – Stars have life cycles and generate more complex elements.
SC-HS-2.3.5 - Our solar system was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
SC-HS-4.6.2 – Changes in the frequency of starlight can indicate its relative motion.