State some characteristics of stars.

Answer:

● Stars are very big and hot bodies.

● They are made up of various gases.
● They emit a large amount of heat and light.
● There are numerous stars.
● They are so far away from us that we cannot see them with our naked eyes.

What is a galaxy?
Answer:
A galaxy is a huge system of stars. The white glowing path of stars across the sky is called the Milky Way
galaxy. We in India call it Akash Ganga. It has millions of stars very close to one another. All planets revolve
around the Sun and our Solar System. (Solar family consisting of the Sun, the Planets, the Satellites, Asteroids
and Meteoroids) move along our galaxy, the Milky Way (Akash Ganga).

How did people in the past determine directions?

Answer:
In the past people used to determine directions by watching the stars.

● The North Star or the Pole Star indicates the North because it shines directly above the North Pole.
● It remains in the same direction in the sky, throughout the year.

Why do we always see only one side of the Moon?

Answer:

● The Moon revolves round the Earth in nearly 27 days.

● It also takes exactly 27 days to rotate on its axis.
● Thus, both its movements take the same time. That’s why we always see only one side of the Moon.

Why is the Earth called ‘Blue Planet’?

Over 71 percent of the Earth is covered with water. Therefore from outer space it appears blue and so Earth is
called the 'Blue Planet'.

why earth is called as an unique planet ?

The earth is a unique planet in the solar system because of the following reasons:

o Conditions desirable to support life are probably found only on the earth.
o The earth is neither too hot nor too cold. The temperature on earth is moderate.
o It has an adequate amount of water and air, which is very essential for our survival.

Differentiate between Planets and Stars.