The main commonality between stars and planets is that they are celestial bodies with gravity. However, the commonalities end here as the two bodies are quite different from each other.
While stars and planets are fairly distinctive from each other, this article highlights a few distinguishing factors between the two. Let's look at some of the major differences between stars and planets without any further ado.
Stars
Stars constitute a mixture of gases (like hydrogen, helium, etc.) continuously undergoing numerous nuclear reactions. Due to the nuclear reactions, they have a very high temperature. Consider the sun, for instance. From the earth, it looks like a massive ball of fire. It has a temperature of almost 5500 °C.
The continuous occurrence of nuclear reactions also gives stars their own light. If you think the stars are twinkling, it is not your imagination; they do give a twinkling effect.
Stars are enormous in size compared to planets. Consider our solar system, for instance. There is only one star, the sun, while 8 planets orbit around it. Stars have a very fast speed and orbit around the center of their galaxy. Since stars are made of gases, they do not have a definite shape.
Planets
Consider our earth as the prime example. It is a spherical mass that orbits around the sun. Our solar system has eight planets, while the earth is the third closest planet to the sun.
Planets are spherical bodies that consist of solids, liquids and gases. Planets have a significantly lesser degree of temperature, which varies according to the proximity to the sun. For instance, Mercury being the closest, is easily the hottest planet.
Planets are considerably smaller in size than stars and orbit around the sun. They also do not have their own light. Compared to the sun, their speed is quite less.
