A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. [1] The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth …

Oct 27, 2025 · A star is any massive self-luminous celestial body of gas that shines by radiation derived from its internal energy sources. Of the tens of billions of trillions of stars in the observable universe, …

May 2, 2025 · A star’s gas provides its fuel, and its mass determines how rapidly it runs through its supply, with lower-mass stars burning longer, dimmer, and cooler than very massive stars.

These large, swelling stars are known as red giants. But there are different ways a star’s life can end, and its fate depends on how massive the star is.

Apr 11, 2025 · In a very broad sense, a star is simply one of those twinkling points of light you can see in the night sky. But that’s not terribly satisfying in either lexicological or physical terms.

5 days ago · The simplest way to describe a star is that it is a great ball of fire, but it is more complicated than that. A star is a giant ball of hydrogen turning into helium through nuclear fusion.

4 days ago · Astronomers say they spotted signs of a giant explosion releasing from a star beyond our solar system, one powerful enough to destroy a planet’s atmosphere.

If you have read How the Sun Works, you already know a lot about the nature of Earth's nearest star. As you read the following pages, you'll find out even more about what you can see in the night sky.

Where Do Stars Come From? Every star forms in a huge cloud of gas and dust. Over time, gravity causes the cloud to contract, drawing the gas closer and closer together. As more gas accumulates …

Jul 15, 2014 · A star is a luminous ball of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium, held together by its own gravity. Nuclear fusion reactions in its core support the star against gravity and produce photons and …