Star

  • A star has its own light.
  • Stars twinkle at night.
  • The relative positions of the stars do not undergo any noticeable change.
  • Since the stars are very far away, the telescope can only make them look brighter but not larger.
  • A star has very high temperature.
  • There are billions of stars in the celestial sphere.

Planet

  • A planet has no light of its own. It shines by reflecting the light of the sun.
  • Planets do not twinkle.
  • Since planets are very mush closer to the earth than the stars are, their motion around the sun is noticeable as a daily shifting of their relative positions in the sky.
  • Most planets on the other hand are near enough to the earth to be magnified by the telescope.
  • Planets have low temperatures.
  • There are only nine planets in the solar system.