What are stars?

Stars are giant balls of hot gas. They shine because they are very hot. They look tiny from far away. Our Sun is a star too.

Stars are huge balls of very hot gas far out in space. They shine because their middles make lots of heat and light. They look like tiny sparkles because they are so far away, like a big lamp looking small across a long field. Our Sun is the closest star to Earth.

Stars are enormous balls of hot gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. Deep in a star’s center, called its core, tiny bits of hydrogen join together and make helium. This releases huge amounts of heat and light, so the star glows. Stars look small because they are incredibly far away. Fun fact: our Sun is a star, and its light takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth.