Difference Between Stars And Planets

Stars

Stars are huge celestial bodies made mostly of hydrogen and helium that produce light and heat from the churning nuclear forges inside their cores. Many stars occur in pairs, multiple systems, or star clusters. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but due to their immense distance from Earth they appear as fixed points of light in the sky. The most prominent stars are grouped into constellations and asterisms, and many of the brightest stars have proper names. 

The members of such stellar groups are physically related through common origin and are bound by mutual gravitational attraction. Somewhat related to star clusters are stellar associations, which consist of loose groups of physically similar stars that have insufficient mass as a group to remain together as an organization.

Most of the stars in our galaxy, including the sun, are categorized as main sequence stars. They exist in a stable state of nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen to helium and radiating x-rays. This process emits an enormous amount of energy, keeping the star hot and shining brightly. Of the tens of billions of trillions of stars composing the observable universe, only a very small percentage are visible to the naked eye. 

What You Need To Know About Stars

• Stars are the astronomical objects that emit their own light, produced due to thermonuclear fusion, occurring at its core.
• Stars move in their own separate orbit with significant distance, and their motion can be seen after a long time.
• There is one star in the solar system, but trillions of stars in the galaxy. 
• Stars are made up of hydrogen, helium and other light elements.
• Star is a huge ball of gas, with a very high temperature.
• Stars give off their own light produced due to thermonuclear fusion, coming about its core.
• The position of stars changes due to substantial distance; it can be seen after a long time.
• They twinkle as a result of atmospheric refraction.
• The size of the stars is comparatively larger than the planets.
• The shape of a star is almost a perfect sphere.

Planets

Planet is any relatively large natural body that revolves in an orbit around the Sun or around some other star and that is not radiating energy from internal nuclear fusion reactions. According to the 2006 IAU decision, for a celestial body to be a planet of the solar system, it must meet three conditions: it must be in orbit around the Sun, have been molded by its own gravity into a round or nearly round shape, and have “cleared the neighborhood around its orbit,” meaning that its mass must be large enough for its gravity to have removed rocky and icy debris from its orbital vicinity.

Planets are typically categorized into two: The Inner Planets and Outer planets: The four smaller inner system planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are terrestrial planets, being primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer system planets are giant planets, being substantially more massive than the terrestrials.

The two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, are gas giants, being composed mainly of hydrogen and helium; the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune, are ice giants, being composed mostly of substances with relatively high melting points compared with hydrogen and helium, called volatiles, such as water, ammonia and methane. All eight planets have almost circular orbits that lie within a nearly flat disc called the ecliptic.

What You Need To Know About Planets

• The planet is a large natural body that revolves around the Sun or the star, and that is not radiating energy from nuclear fusion reactions.
• Planets have a precise path in which it revolves around the Sun. This path is known as Orbit (Elliptical orbit).
• There are eight planets in the solar system.
• Planets are made up of states of matter such as solid, liquid, gasses or combination of these.
• They have a low temperature.
• Planets have no light of their own and reflect the light of the Sun.
• Planets tend to change their position as they move about the Sun.
• Planets are a bit closer to earth, and light reflected from them passes directly through the earth’s atmosphere without any bending, and so they do not twinkle.
• The size of the planet is comparatively smaller than the star.
• The shape of the planet is spherical.

Difference Between Stars And Planets In Tabular Form