I am trying to help my daughter understand why stars appear smaller than the moon...Can someone help with an explanation? THANK YOU!
2007-01-24 11:12:24 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
look at someone 2 metres away and hold your hand out so that your finger and thumb appear to hold their head,
Now stand 10metres away and do the same thing... your finger and thumb are now closer together becasue the head appears smaller.
A star is so far away from the earth that it appears small, while the moon appears large because it is closer.
Another idea is to get a tennis ball and a basket ball... have the tennis ball a metre away and the basket ball about a hundred metres away... which one appears bigger? use your fingers to show that the basket ball appears smaller... however it really is not.
Explain also that the sun is much larger than the moon, but it is also further away.... this may be hard to grasp for her though.
2007-01-24 11:23:11 · answer #1 · answered by haratu 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Common sense for a parent to explain. Stars are a lot farther away - things far away always look smaller than things close up.
2007-01-24 22:13:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
May here is way which I saw on an astronomy show. Have 2 of your friends help with it at night. One is holding flash light the other on a moped or motorcyle. You person in flashlight closer to you and one on the motorcyle farther. You can either arrange the person with flashlight closer to make them look brighter. You as your daughter which one she who is with what. After she tells you, it will be the others to signal to come closer to you. I feel that she may not guess correctly. And, I feel the rest will fall into place.
2007-01-24 21:35:34 · answer #3 · answered by stardancerpoet 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
um, they're farther away.
2007-01-24 21:17:42 · answer #4 · answered by Beach_Bum 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋