WorksheetPremium

The Star-Light Gallery's Brightness Puzzle

Use a museum light-test graph and star-distance records to explain why the sun looks brighter than other stars.

Grade 5ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to5-ESS1-1

Buy this worksheet: $1.50

Or unlock every Premium worksheet with Premium

PrintUnlock to print

Answer keyUnlock to see answers

Assign to classUnlock to assign with a class code

What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
14 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students use light-test data to explain how distance affects apparent brightness.
Students argue from evidence that the sun looks brighter because it is much closer to Earth.
Students distinguish how bright a star looks from how much light it produces.

How to use

Read the museum investigation together, then have students analyze the graph and distance records. Finish by sharing evidence-based gallery signs.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

5-ESS1-1

Argue that the sun looks brighter than other stars because it is much closer to Earth.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

The Star-Light Gallery's Brightness Puzzle

Use a light model and space-distance records to build an argument.

Investigate the Museum Model

Read the investigation and use the graph. Choose one answer unless the question says to select more.

A Puzzle for the Star-Light Gallery

A science museum is preparing a Star-Light Gallery. One display will compare the sun with other stars. Before writing the display's sign, student helpers Zuri and Mateo investigate a question: Does the brightness seen by an observer tell how much light a source produces? They use a small, low-power LED lamp and a light sensor. The sensor gives a number showing how much light reaches it. A higher reading means more light reaches the sensor.

First, the helpers place the sensor on a stand in a dim room. They mark four lamp positions: 1, 2, 3, and 4 meters from the sensor. At each position, they point the lamp toward the sensor and record a reading. They use the same lamp, power setting, sensor, and room lighting throughout the test. They keep the lamp and sensor at the same height. The distance is what they change. The sensor reading is what they measure.

The graph shows the museum helpers' recorded readings. The numbers are relative units for this sensor, not measurements of a star's total light output. The lamp's power setting stays fixed even when the sensor reading changes. To check their results, the helpers could repeat the measurements at the marked positions. They should keep people and objects from blocking the path between the lamp and sensor.

The gallery also has records of distances in space. The sun is a star that produces its own light. Other stars produce their own light too, but stars do not all produce the same amount. Some stars give off more light than the sun. A lamp is not a star, and a room is not space. Still, a model can help scientists investigate one part of a larger question. Visitors should compare what the lamp test measures with what the space records show. They should not look directly at the sun to make a brightness comparison.