Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on the planet. Other stars are visible from Earth during the night when they are not obscured by atmospheric phenomena, appearing as a multitude of fixed luminous points because of their immense distance. Historically, the most prominent stars on the celestial sphere were grouped together into constellations and asterisms, and the brightest stars gained proper names. Extensive catalogues of stars have been assembled by astronomers, which provide standardized star designations.
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Famous quotes containing the word star:
“Far star that tickles for me my sensitive plate
And fries a couple of ebon atoms white....”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“I put the gold star up in the front window
beside the flag. Alterations is what I know
and what I did: hems, gussets and seams.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“And tell so readily, he knoweth well
How ev’ry star by proper name to call?”
—Bible: Hebrew Psalm CXLVII (Paraphrased by The Countess of Pembroke)