The growing man is interested in literally everything. He asks questions about everything he sees. Why is the grass green? Why does the sun shine during the day, and the stars at night? And so on and so forth. Answering seemingly simple questions is not always easy. Because sometimes some special knowledge is not enough. And how to explain the complex in a simple way? Not everyone can do it.
What is a star?
Without this concept, it is impossible to explain why the sun shines during the day and the stars at night. Often stars appear to babies as small dots in the sky, which they compare to small bulbs or lanterns. If an analogy is drawn, then they can be compared with huge searchlights. Because stars are unimaginably huge fireballs that are incredibly hot and are so far away from us that they seem like crumbs.
What is the sun?
First you need to report that the Sun is a name, like a name. And this name bears the star closest to our planet. But why is she not the point? And because of what the sun shines during the day, and the stars at night, if they are the same?
The sun does not seem to be a point because it is much closer than others. Although it is also far away. If you measure the distance in kilometers, then the number will be equal to 150 million. A car will travel this way in 200 years if it moves without stopping at a constant speed of 80 km / h. Because of the incredibly long distance, the sun seems small, although it is such that it would easily accommodate a million planets like Earth.
By the way, the sun is far from the largest and not very bright star in our sky. It is simply located in one place with our planet, and the rest are scattered far in space.
Why is the sun visible during the day?
First you need to remember: when does the day begin? The answer is simple: when the sun begins to shine over the horizon. Without his light, this is impossible. Therefore, answering the question of why the sun shines during the day, we can say that the day itself will not come if the sun does not rise. After all, as soon as it goes beyond the horizon, evening comes, and then night. By the way, it is worth mentioning that the planet is not moving, but the planet. And the change of day to night is due to the fact that planet Earth rotates without stopping around its fixed axis.
Why aren’t the stars visible in the afternoon, if they, like the sun, always shine? This is due to the presence of our planet's atmosphere. In the air, the sun's rays scatter and overshadow the faint glow of the stars. After his approach, the dispersion ceases, and nothing blocks their dim light.
Why is the moon visible at night ?
So, the sun shines during the day, and the stars at night. The reasons for this are in the air layer surrounding the earth. But why is the moon visible or not? And when it is, it can take on different forms - from a thin sickle to a bright circle. What does it depend on?
It turns out that the moon itself does not shine. It works like a mirror that reflects the sun's rays to the earth. And observers can only see the part of the satellite that is lit. If we consider the whole cycle, it begins with a very thin month, which resembles an inverted letter “C” or an arc from the letter “P”. Within a week, it grows and becomes like a half circle. Throughout the next week it continues to increase and every day more and more closer to the full circle. The next two weeks, the picture is reduced. And at the end of the month, the moon completely disappears from the night sky. More precisely, it is simply not visible, because only that part of it that has turned away from the Earth is illuminated.
And what do people see in space?
The astronauts in orbit are not concerned with the question of why the sun shines during the day, and the stars at night. And this is due to the fact that both of them are visible at the same time. This fact is explained by the absence of air, which prevents the light from the stars from passing through the scattered rays of the sun. You can call them lucky, because they can immediately see the nearest star, and those that are far away.
By the way, night lights vary in color. Moreover, it is clearly visible even from the Earth. The main thing is to take a closer look. The hottest of them shine white and blue. Those stars that are colder than the previous ones are yellow. These include our Sun. And the coldest emit red light.
Continuing the conversation about the stars
If the question of why the sun shines during the day and stars at night arises in older children, then we can continue the conversation, remembering the constellations. They combine groups of stars that are in one place on the celestial sphere. That is, they seem close to us. In fact, there can be a huge distance between them. If we could fly far from the solar system, we would not recognize the starry sky. Because the shape of the constellations would have changed a lot.
In these groups of stars, ancient people saw the outlines of human figures, objects, and animals. In this regard, various names appeared. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Orion, Swan, Southern Cross and many others. Today, there are 88 constellations. Myths and legends are associated with many of them.
Due to the rotation of the Earth around the Sun, the constellations change their position in the sky. And some are generally visible only in a certain season. There are constellations that cannot be seen in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
Over time, the constellations lost the minor stars, and according to their drawing it became difficult to guess how the name came about. The most famous constellation of the Northern Hemisphere - Ursa Major - has now turned into a "bucket". And modern children are tormented by the question: "Where is the bear here?"