One star varies from another in terms of brilliance, size, density, mass, pressure, surface temperature, color and terrestrial atmosphere. The sun itself is just one star among the many - it is just much closer to us than all countless others. A star is a sphere of very hot gas made up of atoms that move so fast and clash violently, emitting energy at the expense of its own mass. A star's luminosity increases as its mass increases; however, its internal pressure also increases along with its size. Interestingly, the color of a star also depends upon its temperature - the hottest being blue, while the coolest (relatively speaking) being red.

Since the beginning of time, these stars silently hang in the sky like sparkling diamonds. They never complain why one is brighter or bigger than the other. They were placed in the skies so that those who consult the stars can chart their course and find their way.

The same is true with the stars of the silver screen. There are starlets, superstars, megastars, super nova stars whom people look up to as trendsetters. Fans wear what they wear, like what they like, dig what they dig, follow them to heaven and jump into hell whenever they do. The wise, however, learn from the stars' mistakes and avoid being caught in the same entrapments.

In the universe, hundreds of interstellar collisions occur every hour and oftentimes, when two stars collide, a bigger and hotter star is born. Likewise, a marriage between two celebrities makes them into one entity, such as Brangelina. Oftentimes, like real stars, they also spark and clash violently, and they energize the media at the expense of their very union. As their mass of follower increases, so does their popularity, and just like real stars, their internal pressure also increases as their fame rises.

But alas, human stars - be they super, mega or nova are not as enduring as their heavenly counterparts, and so even the most expensive celebrity weddings aren't guaranteed to last.

Let us analyze some interstellar collisions that sizzled off and disappeared into a black hole just a few years after their union:

• Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston tied the knot at the cost of 1 million dollars last July 2000. That extravagant wedding boasted of some 50,000 flowers and a fireworks display as a grand finale. Five years later, they called it quits.
• Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell wowed their 500 guests with a lavish US1.5 million budget in 1993. Their unions lasted a bit longer though, but not long enough to last a lifetime
• Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky outspent all the seven previous weddings that Liz had with a US 2 million budget, but not even the magic of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch (where the wedding was held) could keep them intact five years later.
• Liza Minnelli and David Gest's wedding perhaps is the most reckless spending of all time. With a budget of US3.5 million, Michael Jackson as the best man and Liz Taylor as the bridesmaid, one would think they'll make it good this time, but sadly, the blue star degenerated into a white dwarf and the romance fizzled after a year.

Not all celebrity weddings resulted in a disaster though, just as not all star collisions disappear into a black hole. But whatever they become, the stargazers have a lot to learn from them. Stars make the night bearable, and the wise learn from their orbits.

So look at the stars and study their positions and activities and make use of what you learn from their marriages, but don't forget, stars shine during the night. The best light is still white light, and this is available during daytime, where true colors are shown for what they really are.

If you want your marriage to succeed, be real. Being star struck may be a nice feeling, but in the long run, it is still the warm rays of the sun that will lead you home.