The stage in the water cycle that returns water to Earth is precipitation. Depending on the weather conditions, the temperature on the Earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, and the topography of the land will determine the amount and type of precipitation. Precipitation forms when the droplets in the clouds are too heavy and fall back to Earth. Rain will fall when both the atmosphere and surface temperatures are above freezing. Hail will form when there is a thunderstorm, the temperature in the atmosphere is below freezing, and the surface temperature is above freezing. Snow forms when the temperature is below freezing in the atmosphere and on the surface of Earth. Finally, sleet is formed when the temperature in the atmosphere is above freezing, and the surface temperature is below freezing. These types of precipitation can fall over an ocean and return the water that was previously evaporated.

Runoff is another stage in the water cycle where water is directly added to the oceans. Runoff occurs when water flows downwards due to gravity from the top of landforms such as mountains. It can be in the form of a stream or river, for example. The water returns to the ocean when the mouth of the creek or river intersects with the sea. Runoff also adds to our groundwater supplies as it soaks into the ground and aquifers.

The stage in the water cycle where water is heated by the Sun and turns to vapor is evaporation. The water absorbs heat from the Sun's rays and slowly releases it into the atmosphere. Water changes from a liquid state to a gaseous state (vapor) and returns to the atmosphere.

The flashlights in this demonstration are placeholders for stars. There is no way that a class can investigate a real star close up, so an alternative light source must be used. The Victoria Department of Education and Training gives some background information on stars (or a flashlight in this case), "There are more stars in the sky than anyone can easily count, but they are not scattered evenly, and they are not all the same in brightness or color." The closer a source of light is to our line of vision, the larger it will appear and the brighter. The flashlight that is only 2 feet from the board will appear brighter and more massive than the flashlight held at 4 feet.

Source: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/mapstars2.pdf

Gretel's claim is supported by the research from NASA that her teacher presented. The Sun appears to be the brightest star because it is closest to Earth. It does not appear brightest because its the hottest, largest, or the brightest in the galaxy. "We live so close to it that it outshines everything else." This is the reason the Sun looks so bright.

There is no piece of text evidence that supporters the claim that it is possible to measure the actual brightness of stars. There are two lines from NASA that dispute the claim, "To find out the true brightness of a star; scientists need to know how far it is. Without a good way to know how much of this interstellar fog is blocking the light, there is no reliable way to discover the true brightness of a star.". This evidence makes it clear that it is not possible to measure the distance or the brightness of a star.

Dot's argument is in complete contradiction with the evidence she provided! The statement from NASA says that there is a star 100,000 times brighter than the Sun, and if it were closer, it would be bright enough to see in the daytime. This is the opposite of her claim and argument. The Sun appears brightest because it is closest to us and is the only star in our Solar System, but there are other stars in the galaxy that are much brighter.

NASA's passage explains that space dust is a complication with measuring a star's actual brightness. Stars are extremely far from Earth, and the interference of space dust can cause scientists to be unable to measure the distance accurately. The dust is much like a fog is on Earth adn clouds the view.

NASA provides some background on the Sun compared to other stars, "Of course, the star that appears the brightest to all of us on Earth is the Sun. Although it is a rather typical star, not all that different from many of the ones you see at night, we live so close to it that it outshines everything else. Even the next closest star is more than a quarter of a million times farther from Earth, so it is not surprising that the light from the Sun overwhelms that from other stars." Due to the Earth's close (in relative terms) proximity to the Sun, it appears brightest to use because it is closer than all other stars in the galaxy.

NASA provides some background on the Sun compared to other stars, "Of course, the star that appears the brightest to all of us on Earth is the Sun. Although it is a rather typical star, not all that different from many of the ones you see at night, we live so close to it that it outshines everything else. Even the next closest star is more than a quarter of a million times farther from Earth, so it is not surprising that the light from the Sun overwhelms that from other stars." Due to the Earth's close (in relative terms) proximity to the Sun, it appears brightest to use because it is closer than all other stars in the galaxy.

NASA provides some background on the Sun compared to other stars, "Of course, the star that appears the brightest to all of us on Earth is the Sun. Although it is a rather typical star, not all that different from many of the ones you see at night, we live so close to it that it outshines everything else. Even the next closest star is more than a quarter of a million times farther from Earth, so it is not surprising that the light from the Sun overwhelms that from other stars." Due to the Earth's close (in relative terms) proximity to the Sun, it appears brightest to use because it is closer than all other stars in the galaxy.

The stars that we see in the night sky are part of our Milky Way Galaxy, but they are not part of our solar system. Our solar system only has one star, the Sun. Galaxies contain millions to billions of stars, and depending on their proximity to Earth, some appear brighter than others. They are extremely far from us and not a part of our solar system.