Near and Far

Closer things look bigger and brighter: flashlights, streetlights, and stars.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 4

Imagine two flashlights that are exactly the same. One is in your hand. One is across the field. Which looks brighter? The close one!
Close things look bigger, too. A hot air balloon in the park looks huge. High in the sky, the same balloon looks tiny.
Stars work the same way. These two stars are really the same, but one is much closer. The close one looks bigger and brighter.
The sun is the closest star to Earth. That's why it looks so much bigger and brighter than the stars we see at night.
Try it with a grown-up! Shine a flashlight at a wall from close up, then from far away. When does the light look brighter?

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S2E1.a — Ask questions to describe the physical attributes (size and brightness) of stars.
S2E1.b — Construct an argument to support the claim that although the sun appears to be the brightest and largest star, it is actually medium in size and brightness.