Beyond the Solar System

A star constellation is a group of stars that form a recognizable pattern in the night sky. For thousands of years, people have named constellations,

Stars are massive spheres of hot, glowing gases that produce energy through nuclear fusion. The energy from stars, including our Sun, powers the solar

Stars are massive, glowing spheres of gas that generate energy through nuclear fusion. They vary in size, color, and temperature. Scientists classify

Stars are born from vast clouds of gas and dust in space called nebulae. Gravity pulls these particles together, causing them to heat up and form a de

A main sequence star is a star in the most stable phase of its life cycle. During this stage, the star generates energy by fusing hydrogen nuclei into

Stars go through different stages in their life cycles. After spending millions or even billions of years as a main sequence star, they begin to chang

Science and Engineering Practices (SEP): Analyzing and Interpreting DataAstronomers collect data from telescopes and space observatories to study how

When massive stars reach the end of their life cycle, they can collapse into two extreme objects: neutron stars and black holes. Neutron stars are inc

Stars are not always found alone in space. Many stars form in groups called star clusters, which are collections of stars that share a common origin a

A galaxy is a massive system of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. The universe has billions of galaxies, each containing mil

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our solar system. It is a spiral galaxy made up of billions of stars, planets, gas, dust, and dark matter, a

The universe is everything that exists, including galaxies, stars, planets, and all of space itself. It is constantly expanding, and scientists estima

The expansion of the universe helps scientists understand how the universe began and how it might change in the future. One major idea that explains t

Scientists believe that the universe began about 13.8 billion years ago with an event called the Big Bang. This theory explains how the universe start