If you look at the stars, cutting off the rays (as may be done by looking through a very small hole made with the extreme point of a very fine needle, placed so as almost to touch the eye), you will see those stars so minute that it would seem as though nothing could be smaller; it is in fact their great distance which is the reason of their diminution, for many of them are very many times larger than the star which is the earth with water. –“In Praise of the Sun,” Leonardo da Vinci Which best identifies the author’s purpose? to argue a theory about the size of stars to inform readers about an experiment he conducted about stars to entertain readers with a description of stars in the night sky to argue a theory about the size of the Earth

And there is no other [center] of heat and light in the universe . . . certainly those who have chosen to worship men as gods—as Jove, Saturn, Mars and the like—have [made a mistake], seeing that even if a man were as large as our earth, he would look no bigger than a little star which appears but as a speck in the universe; and seeing again that these men are mortal, and putrid and corrupt in their sepulchres. –“In Praise of the Sun,” Leonardo da Vinci What evidence supports the author’s point of view on humans? “men are mortal, and putrid and corrupt" “those who have chosen to worship men as gods” “even if a man were as large as our earth” “there is no other [center] of heat and light”

I only wish I had words to serve me to blame those who are fain to extol the worship of men more than that of the sun; for in the whole universe there is nowhere to be seen a body of greater magnitude and power than the sun. Its light gives light to all the celestial bodies which are distributed throughout the universe; and from it descends all vital force, for the heat that is in living beings comes from the soul [vital spark]; and there is no other [center] of heat and light in the universe. –“In Praise of the Sun,” Leonardo da Vinci What is the biggest weakness of da Vinci’s argument? He incorrectly concludes that other stars do not have their own light. He relies on his own personal feelings and preferences. He suggests that the sun helps sustain life on Earth. He relies too much on others’ points of view.

Read the following passage from the article:It's a bright, sunny day, but suddenly, rippling waves of light and dark shadows race across the ground as the sun's light quickly fades. Darkness falls, the stars become visible, and the air cools. A wispy, glowing halo of white hangs behind the moon in the eerily darkened sky.Why did the author include this information?A.To provide readers with vivid details that enable them to picture an eclipseB.To stress the critical role that the sun plays in heating and lighting our planetC.To persuade readers to avoid watching an eclipse due to the sudden darknessD.To explain why the brightness of the sun prevents the stars from being visible

How does size influence the appearance of a star? Give an example in your response.

Is the star Polaris bigger or smaller than our Sun?BiggerSmaller