Objects in the Night Sky

Stars Stars are the most common object in the night sky. Stars are a huge ball of gas that gives off light and heat. The Sun is the closest star to Earth. Stars twinkle when we see them from the Earth's surface because we are viewing them through thick layers of turbulent (moving) air in the Earth's atmosphere. Stars would not appear to twinkle if we viewed them from outer space (or from a planet/moon that didn't have an atmosphere).

Planets Planets are smaller than stars and do not produce their own light. Planets are smaller than stars and do not produce their own light. Planets revolve around a star and reflect its light. Planets revolve around a star and reflect its light. Our solar system has eight planets with several dwarf planets like Pluto. Our solar system has eight planets with several dwarf planets like Pluto. Planets do not twinkle and appear larger than stars because they are closer to the Earth. Planets do not twinkle and appear larger than stars because they are closer to the Earth.

The Earth’s Moon The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. The moon looks like the largest object in the sky only because it is the closet object to the Earth. The moon looks like the largest object in the sky only because it is the closet object to the Earth. The moon orbits the Earth every 29 days so it has phases. The moon orbits the Earth every 29 days so it has phases. Other planets have moons, but they are too small or too distant for us to see without a telescope. Other planets have moons, but they are too small or too distant for us to see without a telescope.

Satellites and Jets A man made satellite is an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication. A satellite can also be a celestial body orbiting the earth or another plane. (Like the Moon) They take about 90 minutes to orbit the Earth and appear to blink regularly in the night sky.

Meteors Imagine a baseball zipping along at 30,000 miles per hour. That's how big and fast many meteors are. And though some are bigger than baseballs, most are more like grains of sand. The larger meteors are sometimes broken bits off asteroids or other planets. The small stuff is often dust left by a passing comet. They are not stars! Meteors are basically pieces of rock falling through the Earth’s atmosphere and MOST burn up before they hit Earth. Meteors are often called shooting stars.

Meteorite Meteorites are meteors that hit the Earth’s surface. Meteorites are meteors that hit the Earth’s surface. There are over 38,000 documented meteorites here on Earth. There are over 38,000 documented meteorites here on Earth. Russian Meteorite Russian Meteorite mh7_I8vI mh7_I8vI mh7_I8vI mh7_I8vI

Galaxies Galaxies are sprawling space systems composed of dust, gas, and countless stars. The number of galaxies cannot be counted - the observable universe alone may contain 100 billion. Galaxies with less than a billion stars are considered "small galaxies." In our own galaxy, the sun is just one of about 100 billion stars. Galaxies are classified into three main types: spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies Only a few can be seen with the naked eye. Earth is a planet in the Milky Way galaxy.