Question 1

What is astronomy?

Accepted Answer

Astronomy is the study of everything in space, like stars, planets, and galaxies. It's about learning what's out there beyond our world.

Question 2

What is a star?

Accepted Answer

A star is a huge ball of hot, glowing gas. The Sun is a star, and it's what gives us light and warmth.

Question 3

Why is the sky blue?

Accepted Answer

The sky looks blue because air scatters sunlight in all directions, and blue light is scattered more than other colors because it travels in smaller, shorter waves.

Question 4

How many planets are in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

There are eight planets in our solar system. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Question 5

What is the Moon?

Accepted Answer

The Moon is a natural satellite that orbits Earth. It's the big shiny thing you can often see in the night sky.

Question 6

What is a galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A galaxy is a huge group of stars, planets, and dust all clumped together in space. We live in a galaxy called the Milky Way.

Question 7

Why do we have day and night?

Accepted Answer

We have day and night because the Earth spins around. When our side of Earth faces the Sun, it's daytime; when it's turned away, it's nighttime.

Question 8

What is a constellation?

Accepted Answer

A constellation is a group of stars that people have imagined to form shapes or pictures in the sky. The Big Dipper is a famous constellation.

Question 9

How do telescopes help us in astronomy?

Accepted Answer

Telescopes help us see things far away in space by making them look bigger and clearer. They let us look at stars, planets, and galaxies that our eyes can't see by themselves.

Question 10

What is gravity?

Accepted Answer

Gravity is a force that pulls things toward each other. It's why we stay on the ground and why the Earth orbits the Sun.

Question 11

What is a comet?

Accepted Answer

A comet is a chunk of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun. When it gets close to the Sun, it glows and can have a long, bright tail.

Question 12

What is a black hole?

Accepted Answer

A black hole is a place in space where gravity is so strong that even light can't escape from it. They form when big stars collapse.

Question 13

Why do stars twinkle?

Accepted Answer

Stars twinkle because the air in our atmosphere moves, which changes how the light from stars reaches us. It makes them seem to twinkle or flicker.

Question 14

What are asteroids?

Accepted Answer

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. They are mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 15

What is the Sun?

Accepted Answer

The Sun is a star at the center of our solar system. It's very hot and gives us light and energy that makes life possible on Earth.

Question 16

Why does the Moon change shape?

Accepted Answer

The Moon looks like it changes shape because of how it orbits the Earth and reflects sunlight. These shapes are called phases.

Question 17

What is a solar system?

Accepted Answer

A solar system is a group of planets and other objects that orbit around a star. Our solar system's star is the Sun.

Question 18

What is the difference between a planet and a star?

Accepted Answer

A star is a big, glowing ball of gas, like the Sun, which makes its own light. A planet is a body that orbits a star, like Earth, and it doesn't make light.

Question 19

What causes an eclipse?

Accepted Answer

An eclipse happens when one object in space blocks another from view. A solar eclipse is when the Moon blocks the Sun, and a lunar eclipse is when Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.

Question 20

What is the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

The Milky Way is the galaxy we live in. It's made up of billions of stars and looks like a big band of light in the sky.

The Basics of Astronomy - 20 FAQs Explained Simply