What Are Stars Made Of?

🕐 4 min 28 sec 👦 Ages 6–8 🌍 English
Join Owlo and Koko as they explore the wonders of stars and discover what they're made of in a fun and engaging way!
Understand what stars are made of Explore the beauty of the night sky Encourage curiosity and questioning
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, Owlo! I have the most exciting news. Last night, I stayed up a little late and looked out the window at the sky.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Oh my, that does sound exciting, Koko. What did you see out there?
                
                    Koko:
                    So many stars! They were everywhere, like someone spilled a giant jar of glitter all over the sky.
                
                    Owlo:
                    What a beautiful way to describe it. The night sky really is something special, isn't it?
                
                    Koko:
                    I kept staring and staring, and then I started wondering. What are stars actually made of?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Now that is one of the greatest questions anyone can ask. I think we need the science lab for this one.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes! Can we go right now? I have been thinking about it all morning.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here we are. Now, let me grab this big book on space from the shelf. It has some wonderful diagrams inside.
                
                    Koko:
                    Ooh, look at all those pictures of stars. They look like giant glowing balls.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is exactly what they are, Koko. Stars are enormous balls of very hot gas.
                
                    Koko:
                    Gas? Like the kind that makes a stove flame?
                
                    Owlo:
                    A little bit like that, yes. The main gas inside a star is called hydrogen. It is the lightest gas in the universe.
                
                    Koko:
                    Hydrogen. Okay, I think I can remember that. What does the hydrogen do inside the star?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Deep inside the star, it gets so incredibly hot and so tightly squeezed that something amazing happens. The hydrogen starts to change.
                
                    Koko:
                    Change into what?
                
                    Owlo:
                    It changes into a different gas called helium. And when that happens, it releases a huge burst of energy. That energy is the light and heat we feel from the sun.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wait. Our sun is a star?
                
                    Owlo:
                    It is indeed! The sun is the closest star to us. It just looks bigger because it is so much nearer than the others.
                
                    Koko:
                    So when I look at the stars at night, I am looking at other suns that are super far away. That is kind of mind-blowing.
                
                    Owlo:
                    It really is. Some of those stars are even bigger and hotter than our own sun.
                
                    Koko:
                    How hot is the sun, Owlo? Like, hotter than an oven?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Much, much hotter than any oven. The surface of the sun is about five thousand five hundred degrees. The centre is millions of degrees.
                
                    Koko:
                    Millions? I cannot even imagine that. I would not want to stand near that.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Nobody would. That is why it is a very good thing the sun is ninety three million miles away from us.
                
                    Koko:
                    And it still feels warm on my fur from that far away. Stars must be incredibly powerful.
                
                    Owlo:
                    They truly are. Stars are like giant engines that burn for billions of years before they finally run out of fuel.
                
                    Koko:
                    Billions of years? So the stars I saw last night have been shining for way longer than I have been alive.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Longer than any animal or plant that has ever lived on our planet, actually.
                
                    Koko:
                    That makes me feel very small. But also really amazed at the same time.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That feeling has a name, Koko. Scientists and explorers call it a sense of wonder. It is what drives people to keep asking questions.
                
                    Koko:
                    I like that. A sense of wonder. I think I have had that my whole life and just did not know what it was called.
                
                    Owlo:
                    And that is exactly why you are such a wonderful student. Now, before we close this book, can you tell me what you learned today?
                
                    Koko:
                    Okay, so. Stars are giant balls of super hot gas, mostly made of something called hydrogen. Inside the star, the hydrogen squishes together and turns into helium, and that makes light and heat. Our sun is actually a star too, just the closest one. And stars burn for billions and billions of years. So basically, every time I look at the night sky, I am looking at a bunch of giant glowing gas balls that are older than everything. Which is honestly the coolest thing I have ever heard.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a perfect summary. Next time, maybe we can explore why stars twinkle, or even how new stars are born.
                
                    Koko:
                    New stars are born? Stars have babies? Owlo, we have so much more to learn.