By: Jill Davis and Elizabeth Gay Sun and Stars By: Jill Davis and Elizabeth Gay

The Stars in our Universe To start out with, there are many stars in our universe (approx. 100 billion), including the closest star; the sun. Throughout this Power Point, you will learn everything you need to know about the stars in our universe.

What is a star? A star is a massive, glowing ball of plasma, which shines because of nuclear fusion in its core. This nuclear fusion releases energy which travels through the star's different layers and then radiates into outer space.

The closest star to Earth; the Sun The Sun contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the Solar System. The sun is also the largest star in the solar system. We know this star as “The Sun”, though in the past, the Greeks have called it “Helios”, and the Romans have called it “Sol”. Around 4.6 billion years old, the sun continues to light the earth to this day.

Sun’s Facts diameter: 1,390,000 km. mass: 1.989e30 kg

The 25 Brightest Stars Sirius Canopus Arcturus Rigel Kent Vega Capella Procyon Ori Achernar Hadar Altair Acrux Aldebaran Spica Antares Pollux Fomalhaut Deneb Cru Cen Regulus Adhara Castor Y Cru This upcoming picture will give you a better look at these stars.

Constellations In the sky, stars form constellations, which is a group of stars that forms a picture or image. Some well-known constellations include:, the big dipper, the little dipper, Orion, Virgo, Leo, and Draco. The Greek have created myths about each of these constellations, and the role of them.

The Big and Little Dipper The Big and Little Dippers The Pointers and Polaris The Big and Little Dippers are very well-known to humans. They are part of other constellations in our universe, and are easily found. The Big Dipper makes up part of the constellation of the ursa Major, or the Big Bear. The Little Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.

Orion Orion, also known as the The Hunter, is one of the most largest, and well-known constellations. In Greek myths, Orion is the “master of the winter”, who has a hunting dog named Sirius.

Virgo Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the nighttime sky. The sun passes through the Virgo constellation in mid-September, and is known as the constellation that announces the harvest.

Leo Leo is a compact constellation, which is readily recognizable. In mythology," Leo the Lion” roamed the hills and streets of the Peloponnesian villages, eating anyone who was in his path.

Draco In mythology, Draco the Dragon is a character that is involved in the 11th task of Hercules, which was stealing the golden apples of an apple tree. This constellation now holds less stars than in the past, and has different phases depending on the month. The Dragon’s head takes on a different look depending on the time of the year.

As you can see, the sun and stars play a big role in our universe, surrounding the earth with light. Not only historical, but these interesting objects are fun to learn, and read about.

This PowerPoint was created thanks to…. www.nineplanets.org/sol.html http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/constellation http://www.op97.k12.il.us/lab/mm/astronomy/constellations.html http://www.dibonsmith.com/stars.htm http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/URSAS.HTM http://www.enchantedlearning.com/sgifs/Suntemps.GIF http://www.le.ac.uk/ph/faulkes/web/images/stars.jpg http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/constellations/orion_sm.jpg www.acmecompany.com/Pages/stock_space.html mywebpages.comcast.net/.../dippers.html www.astrologyweekly.com/zodiac-pictures/zodia... www.tqnyc.org/NYC063368/the_constellations.htm my.opera.com/toecat/ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level2/sun.html

Thank you!