Two Suns in the Sky
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Question Sheet: Two Suns in the Sky

SCIENCE

Before reading:

1. What makes a sunset beautiful?
2. If there is life on another planet, what might the planet be like? What would be important for life to exist there?

During reading:

1. What is a binary star?
2. Why does David Trilling say: "The big splash from our work is that the number of potential sites for planetary system formation has just gone up enormously"?
3. Why do dusty disks form in solar systems that contain planets?
4. What are some of the difficulties of locating planets in other solar systems?
5. Why did Trilling and other researchers only get an image of a fuzzy blob from their telescope images of the dusty rings?
6. Why do some scientists think that binary stars are the best place to look for life on other planets?
7. How would having two suns affect how warm and how brightly lit a planet is?

After reading:

1. How would you go about looking for planets in the sky? How would you map your finding? How would you collect the data if you had a high-powered telescope?
2. This article describes a problem of viewing the dusty disks through a telescope. Create a drawing where you illustrate this problem and label the different parts. How does this drawing help you understand the scientist’s challenge?
3. Scientists do not know why dusty disks are common in binary systems. What next steps could they take to learn more about this problem? (Remember these stars are VERY far away!)
4. Do you think there is life on another planet? Why or why not?
5. How might the presence of asteroids affect the planets in the dusty ring?

SOCIAL STUDIES

Where in the United States would be the best place to put a telescope? Why?

LANGUAGE ARTS

1. Imagine that you live on a planet with a binary star. Write three fictional journal entries on the weather and climate on your planet.
2. Scientists who discover things often name them. What would be a good name for planets that exist in a dusty ring of asteroids? Explain why you like the name you have chosen.

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