Written By: Marilee Hernandez Edited By: Yosharelli S.
Hey there, young cosmic explorers! Are you ready to be amazed? Have you ever been to the beach, lying on the sand and admiring the sky, thinking to yourself, “Wow, there is so much of the world I have yet to discover. The universe is so huge!” From quarks to black holes, it’s hard not to get blown away. So buckle up, explorers, because we are about to embark on a journey filled with quarks, stars, and black holes!
First Off, What Is a Quark?
Quarks are the smallest things in existence and are the building blocks of everything we see around us. A good way to think of them is as tiny Lego pieces, which, together make up protons and neutrons. There are six types of quarks: top, bottom, charm, strange, up, and down. Sounds funny, right? It’s like they got inspiration from the Berenstain Bears—think “sister,” “brother,” and “too tall”! But anyway, these quarks come together in different combinations to build the protons and neutrons within us. Protons are made of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons consist of one up quark and two down quarks. This is the recipe for the universe!
The Cosmic Star
Now that you’re an expert on quarks, let’s discuss stars. Did you know that beyond the shining star we see in the night sky is a massive ball of gas? It is constantly undergoing nuclear fusion and creating all sorts of elements such as hydrogen and helium; helium being what makes balloons float and hydrogen as in what makes up water. Temperatures and pressures are very high causing hydrogen atoms to smash together, forming helium. The star glows because of the abundant energy released. This is fascinating, but even more mind-boggling are the dramatic changes they undergo. Some stars explode as supernovae, while others collapse into black holes.
Before we move on, I want to share a few words in hopes of inspiring you to keep exploring and dreaming big! The Big Bang is believed to be the beginning of time: a point that exploded, creating all the matter in this universe. Here’s the amazing part: when that point exploded, it created space and scattered carbon, oxygen, and iron, which are crucial for life on Earth. We are made of these elements, which makes us stardust. So now, every time you look in the mirror, remember: you have a star within you.
The Black Hole Mystery
One of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe is black holes. They form when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity. It’s like squishing a giant ball until it becomes a tiny dot with an incredibly strong gravitational pull. The astonishing thing about black holes is that space and time are wrapped around them. If you get too close, time will slow down, and you’ll be pulled in by their gravity. What lies inside a black hole is still unknown, but it’s explorers like you who will help find out!
Curious Adventure
As scientists continue to explore our universe, more and more discoveries are made. From the quarks that make up our atoms to the stars that support life and the black holes that boggle our minds, there is still so much left to uncover. Stay curious and keep looking up—you might find your next big adventure among the stars!
Vocabulary:
Protons - particle with positive charge
Neutrons - particle with no charge
Reference
Cooper, K. (2022). Quarks: What are they? Space.com. https://www.space.com/quarks-explained
NASA. (n.d.). Stars - NASA science. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
TED-Ed. (2015, December 15). Black holes explained - From birth to death. YouTube. https://youtu.be/e-P5IFTqB98?si=YrlgT2MkFdKgKu6x
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