I must admit, my first reaction would be to snark. But then I think almost immediately "No. Don't do that! That might actually be a child asking what seems like a good question!"
The thing is - as uninformed as Amanda4life's question is - you can use it to TEACH her and others about what stars really are and the relationships of size and gravity etc. So many people have no clue that you may as well grit your teeth against the impulse to intellectually sneer and just tell them the truth without condescending to them.
For example: "Well, Amanda, stars don't work like that. They're a lot grander and bigger than you think and you can't just grab one like a small rock. We can't move the sun around to suit us, can we? Well it's the same thing. The sun is a star, but close up. The stars are suns, but very far away. All of them are bigger and more massive than the Earth.
But... supposing one did happen to wander close by the solar system, how would that change things? Well... "
Can you tell I've re-watched Cosmos recently? Heh.
Seriously - get the kids hooked on this stuff as early as possible. If you can find a good link (and I know a few) Cosmos is a good start for almost introducing ANYONE, young or old, in how astronomy, physics, and the scientific method work.
James Burke's Connections series is also good. Though the Follow-up series Connections2 and Connections3 aren't as linear in following a specific timeline of technological progression.
The thing is - as uninformed as Amanda4life's question is - you can use it to TEACH her and others about what stars really are and the relationships of size and gravity etc. So many people have no clue that you may as well grit your teeth against the impulse to intellectually sneer and just tell them the truth without condescending to them.
For example: "Well, Amanda, stars don't work like that. They're a lot grander and bigger than you think and you can't just grab one like a small rock. We can't move the sun around to suit us, can we? Well it's the same thing. The sun is a star, but close up. The stars are suns, but very far away. All of them are bigger and more massive than the Earth.
But... supposing one did happen to wander close by the solar system, how would that change things? Well... "
Can you tell I've re-watched Cosmos recently? Heh.
Seriously - get the kids hooked on this stuff as early as possible. If you can find a good link (and I know a few) Cosmos is a good start for almost introducing ANYONE, young or old, in how astronomy, physics, and the scientific method work.
James Burke's Connections series is also good. Though the Follow-up series Connections2 and Connections3 aren't as linear in following a specific timeline of technological progression.