AST 165 Study Guide - Final Guide: Yellow Supergiant
Document Summary
One of the astronomy-related misconceptions a student may be exposed to throughout their academic career revolves around the north star, otherwise known as polaris. Some believe that this star is the brightest of all. Polaris appears to be so bright from earth only because of its long distance (430 light years) from planet earth. Considering the distance, the north star is definitely luminous, but in reality, it is actually just a yellow supergiant. Fifth grade will be the designated appropriate grade level targeted for when explaining and debunking this astronomy-related myth. The reason for this is that according to michigan k-12 standards for science, it is at this point in a child"s academic career where they are exposed to space systems such as the stars and solar system. Explaining this astronomical concept any earlier would confuse children, granted that they would not have the prior knowledge to fully comprehend this concept based off of these standards enforced into the curriculum.
