The Brightest Stars in Our Sky
Students tour the seven brightest stars in the night sky and learn the difference between apparent brightness and true brightness, discovering that a star looks bright because it is close, very powerful, or both.
Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops8 stops
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What students will see and do
Students fly from Earth to Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, Vega, Capella and Rigel, in order of apparent brightness. Aetherion pauses for discussion at Earth (what decides how bright a light looks), Alpha Centauri (what its brightness says about its distance) and Rigel (which star would win if all were at the same distance).
Learning objectives
- Explain the difference between apparent brightness and true brightness (luminosity).
- Describe how distance affects how bright a light appears, including that twice as far means one fourth as bright.
- Compare near, modest stars such as Alpha Centauri with distant, powerful stars such as Canopus and Rigel.
- Identify the seven brightest stars in the night sky and where several of them can be found.
NGSS connections
| MS-ESS1-3 | Students compare scale properties of stars, including distance and true brightness, using data for the seven brightest stars. |
|---|---|
| MS-PS4-2 | Students model how light spreads out and dims with distance. |
Stops on this journey
- Looking Bright and Being Bright (discussion stop)
- Number One: Sirius
- Number Two: Canopus
- Number Three: Alpha Centauri (discussion stop)
- Number Four: Arcturus
- Number Five: Vega
- Number Six: Capella
- Number Seven: Rigel (discussion stop)
Vocabulary
- apparent brightness
- true brightness
- luminosity
- magnitude
- light-year
- white dwarf
- binary star
- supergiant