What is the difference between a planet and a star?

What is the difference between planet and star?

• Answer:

  A planet, whether an amalgam of solids or an amalgam of gases around a solid core, is not self-incandescent. Any star is composed of gas - largely hydrogen, being continually converted into helium at tremendous heat and pressure, releasing tremendous amounts of heat and light. That is a bit of an oversimplification, but basically the accurate answer. A STAR is a collection of gasses that has also started a nuclear reaction in its core. It gives off heat and light. Stars are usually larger than planets. In general PLANETS are collections of solids and usually some gasses that do not have an atomic reaction happening at their core and usually do not give off light. We see them because the reflect the light of their nearby star. They are the ones of the two that you could actually land and walk on, with spaceships and spacesuits of course. A star has a much larger mass and a composition mainly of hydrogen. Its mass is so large that the pressures and temperatures are enough to allow nuclear fusion to take place on a continuous basis. This process produces a huge amount of energy. Planets are a lot smaller and are in orbit around these stars. Stars are huge globes of gases that shine on their own light.Planets on the other hand are large objects that circles a star and does not produce light of its own stars are suns, just like our sun is a star. planets revolve around suns, like earth revolves around our sun/star. Stars are gigantic balls of nuclear fusion. This is a fancy way of saying that it is so hot inside a star that atoms are moving extremely fast and that their nuclei sometimes hit each other and stick together, creating heavier elements. Stars start out with Hydrogen as their fuel, and they burn until that Hydrogen runs out, normally after billions of years. The Hydrogen nuclei are slammed together, forming heavier elements and depleting the star's fuel supply. Some of these heavier elements are ejected from the star and some stay inside and become fused into still heavier elements. Eventually many of these elements will be ejected from the star and cool down. This is the source of all matter that we know of. Every atom on this planet and any other planet is composed of elements ejected from stars. Due to the force of gravity, these elements and materials eventually began to gather together, which made their gravitational pull stronger, and so on and so on until they became large enough to form actual planets.