Expert: Jayendra Upadhye - 3/5/2005

Question
do you study the stars in the sky?-i'm curious, are they "suns" in other galaxies?(i'm guessing not all stars are)what's the actual size of stars? what are they if they're not suns? i tried a telescope & it didn't help.-thanks for your help-sean


Answer
Hi Sean,
No I do not study stars in the sky in the same way as astronomers do!
I just read more about them than some others do!

All stars ARE suns in their own right sean.
It does not matter whether you happen to be so near one, that you call it's light "daylight", or you are so far from others and call their faint light "starlight".

All those stars you saw thru the telescope are very vary far ..let us say "un-imaginably" far.

Even in the type of telescope you used, they would still be points.

That does not make them any less powerful.
Actually many of them are much more brighter (some are 1000s of times brighter) than the sun and much bigger too.

The bright red star Betelguese in the constellation ORION, is one such! It is 100s of times bigger than the sun and brighter.
Had it been our sun, WE WOULD BE INSIDE IT!

THAT will help you know how large it is.
jayen