Video Worksheet: ​How the Universe Works (Season 1: Episode 4)

 
Directions​: Follow along with the video and answer the following questions. They follow the order of the video.  
 
1. How many stars can we see on a clear, dark night?  
 

2. In simple terms, what is a star? 

 
 

3. Compared to Earth, how big is the Sun? 

 
 

4. What is the name of the biggest star mentioned in the video?  

 
 

5. How are stars ‘born’?  

 
 
 

6. What needed to be invented to know how stars were formed? What is it?  
 
 
 
 

7. Describe how a star is formed. What is needed to form a star?  

 
 
 
 
 
 

8. Extension question (optional)​: How is the famous equation E = mc​2 ​related to stars?  
 9. What is created in the nuclear fusion of two hydrogen atoms?  
 

10. How do gravity and fusion work together to give stars their shape?  
 
 

11. How long does it take for the Sun’s light to reach us?  
 

12. What is ‘solar wind’? Why is it so destructive?  

 
 
 

13. When will the Sun die?  

 

14. What is happening to the forces of gravity and fusion when a star is dying?  
 
 

15. Describe the sequence of events that will happen when our Sun starts to die.  
 
 

16. What’s the difference in the life cycles of small stars versus massive stars?  
 
 
 

17. To a star, what is the most dangerous element?  

 

18. What happens when this element is formed in stars?  

 
 

19. How is the death of a small star different from a massive star?  
 
 

20. Will there ever be a time when there are no stars? Why or why not?  

 
 
Return to your answer from the beginning of the class.  
● What’s changed about your appreciation of stars?  
● What’s one thing that really struck you?  
● What’s one thing you’d like to know more about?