Materials:
- Balloon (fully inflated)
- Aluminum foil (multiple sheets)
- Something to pop the balloon with (a pin or pencil) – Needs adult supervision
- An adult science helper!
Directions:
- Blow up the balloon fully and wrap a few layers of aluminum foil around it. The aluminum foil represents the layers of gases on a star and the balloon represents the core of a star.
- Then, try to squeeze the balloon a little bit, without popping it. This represents the gravity that pushes down on the star. The core of the star helps keep the star from collapsing in on itself.
- Now, have an adult help you pop the balloon, but keep have the foil keep its shape. This represents the dying of a star.
- Now, squeeze the foil structure. This represents the gravity that causes the star to collapse in on itself. Observe the size of the ball and how much foil is in that area. It is denser because the gravity pushed it together. A black hole forms because the remains of the stars are very dense!