Stars have different phases of life
Like all other organic beings, stars are born and pass through several stages of life before finally dying. Before it dies, a massive star will go through a chain reaction known as a supernova, which is a type of explosion. In the final stages of its life, a star will become a white dwarf. It then goes through nuclear fusion, emits a bright white light, and then darkens as it finally dies.
The sun is middle aged
The sun is in fact a middle aged star. It was born about 5 billion years ago, and will die in approximately 6 billion years. Yes, you read that correctly: the sun will die. In 3.5 billion years’ time, the sun, it is believed, will shine 40% brighter than it does right now. The temperature will be so high that oceans will boil and the water will evaporate into space forever. Earth’s climate will be like that on Venus: hot and dry, to the extent that it will be impossible to support life.
Stars don’t actually twinkle
Despite the fact that many children are taught the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, stars don’t actually twinkle. The twinkling that we see is actually a property of Earth’s turbulent atmosphere. The light from a star passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, which has many layers with different densities. This deflects the light, changing its colour and intensity. The result of many deflections, especially near the horizon, is the twinkling that we associate with stars.
Published in Dawn, Young World, August 19th, 2022
