Why is space dark when the sun is so bright?

1. 1

   Zib says

   Down here, sunlight bumps into the air and bounces off in every direction, so the whole sky glows. Up in space, there's almost no air at all. Sunlight streams straight past without bouncing, so none of it turns towards your eyes. That's why astronauts see a blazing sun in a pitch-black sky.

   For ages 8–10
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   Checked against Dark Sky, Bright Sun (NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day)

2. 2

   But why doesn't all the starlight fill space up?

   If the universe went on forever and had always been here, every direction you looked would end on a star, and the sky would blaze. But the universe hasn't been around forever. Light from the very farthest stars hasn't had time to reach us yet. So the gaps between the stars stay dark.

   For ages 9–11
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   Checked against Why is space black? (NASA StarChild)

In Lil' Phil, reaching the bottom of this wonder earns a sticker for Zib's collection.

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  How far away is the sun?

  Ages 8–11Zib
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  How big is the universe?

  Ages 8–11Zib