You know what they say – when you wish on a star your dreams come true – but, is that a myth of a fact? For today’s Cool Facts feature we have a bunch of cool facts about stars that you probably didn’t know about or never heard of. If you’re into astrology, horoscopes, and more, this article is for you. Keep reading to find out more!

The Sun is the Closest Star

Okay, this one you should know, but it’s pretty amazing to think that our own Sun, located a mere 150 million km away is an average example of all the stars in the Universe. Not only is it the closest to the earth, but it is also the largest star in the galaxy – that’s awesome!

Stars are in Perfect Balance

You might not realize but stars are in constant conflict with themselves. The collective gravity of all the mass of a star is pulling it inward. If there was nothing to stop it, the star would just continue collapsing for millions of years until it became its smallest possible size; maybe as a neutron star. But there is a pressure pushing back against the gravitational collapse of the

star: light.

Zodiacs and the Stars

Did you know that the signs are derived from the constellations that mark out the path on which the sun appears to travel over the course of a year? As the Earth orbits the sun, the sun appears to move against the background stars (red line). The constellations (green) through which the sun passes define the zodiac.

To Infinity and Beyond

With so many stars out there, it’s amazing to consider the vast distances involved. The closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, located 4.2 light-years away. In other words, it takes light itself more than 4 years to complete the journey from Earth. If you tried to hitch a ride on the fastest spacecraft ever launched from Earth, it would still take you more than 70,000 years to get there from here.