Question 1

Why do we use hacia here instead of just a?

Accepted Answer

While a generally means "to" and focuses on a final destination, hacia means "towards" and focuses on the physical direction or trajectory. The boy is aiming the telescope in the direction of the star, making hacia the perfect fit.

Question 2

I remember learning apuntar as "to write down". Does it also mean "to point"?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Apuntar is a versatile verb. When referring to an object like a telescope, a camera, or a finger, it means "to point" or "to aim". In other contexts, you will still see it used as "to note down" or "to sign up" (using the reflexive form apuntarse).

Question 3

Stars are really far away. Shouldn't we use aquella instead of esa for "that"?

Accepted Answer

You could use aquella to strongly emphasize the huge distance. However, esa is very natural here because the boy is pointing out a specific object visible in their shared field of view right now. It functions like saying "that one right up there".

Question 4

Why is the adjective brillante placed after estrella?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives generally go after the noun when they classify or distinguish it from others. Here, estrella brillante tells us he is pointing at the bright star, not a dim one. Placing it before the noun would sound very poetic rather than descriptive.

El chico apunta el telescopio hacia esa estrella brillante.

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