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The term planet means 'wanderer'. (It is from the Greek planomi).
Early skywatchers noticed that almost all the stars move in a steady rotation across the heavens. (Of course it is really the earth which rotates). But a handful of stars zigzagged irregularly back and forth. (The stars seem to move all together because they are so distant from us; we notice the movement of the planets because they are much closer).
Mercury zigzagged back and forth the fastest. So Mercury became the messenger of the gods. Venus appears at her brightest just after dusk, and just before dawn; so she became the planet of Love. And so on ...
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoBecause the are so far away from earth
Well we all know each planet dose not illuminate like earth dose not shine. What causes this is that the planet is so far away that when light reflects off the planet all you see is the light but when you use a good telescope you can actually see the planet.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe sun shines on the surfaces of the planets, which reflects back to earth. The planets are smaller and much dimmer than stars, but since the stars are so far away, their light is scattered and appear to have the same brightness as the planets.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThat is a bit like asking, why is a car not a truck.
In simple terms:
- A star is gigantic ball of heated gas.
- A planet is a lump of rock or gas that revolves around a star.
However, if Jupiter attained 75% more mass, it would them become a star.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoPlanets look similar to stars. Look outside these days (October 2013), soon after sunset, and you'll see a very bright star to the west. Only that it isn't technically a star - it's the planet Venus.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe planets reflect the shine from the sun/stars.
Source:Tiffin
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThey appear larger because they are much closer. Stars may be bigger but they very, very, very far away.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBecause the Earth is closer to other planets than it is to the stars.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThey are not actually bigger but they are a lot closer, so they can be seen as a disk in a telescope, which stars can not.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoby its shine they think it is a star
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Why do planets move across the night sky but stars don't?
The planets are closer. (They all move - and differently.)
Why does the sun appear brighter than your stars?
Because it's closer, like the moon
How does the distance of planets from Earth compare to the distance to the stars?
Planets are tremendously closer than the stars are. Even the closest star (other than the sun, which is also a star) is tens of thousands of times farther away than the most distant planet in our solar system.
How are stars and planets the same and how do they differ?
Similarities: Stars and planets can appear the same - like pinpoints of light in the night sky. Differences: Planets are rock or gas, and do not glow by themselves but reflect the light of stars which illuminate them. Stars fuse hydrogen into helium and give off enormous amounts of energy, some in the visible range. Stars are MUCH bigger than planets.
How big are stars to planets?
Planets are a lot bigger than stars except the sun... the sun is a star. So to me the answer is a star is bigger and the stars are also smaller.Let's think about the actual sizes, not just how they appear in the sky.You may be thinking of the apparent sizes as seen from Earth. Stars like our Sun are a lot bigger than planets and there's lots of stars bigger than the Sun.However there are also stars a lot smaller than the Sun. So some stars aresmaller than some planets.For example "white dwarfs" have a lot more mass than the Earth, but they arenot much bigger.Let's be clear though, most stars are bigger than planets.
Why do planets appear to move through the background of stars?
planets are much closer to us than the stars
Why do planets appear larger then stars?
because they're way closer than the stars
The planets appear to move through the background of stars because?
planets are much closer to us than the stars
Why do planets appear brighter than stars?
Because they're very close to the sun and thus reflect a lot of the sunlight. It also helps that they are very close to us in terms of the other stars in the sky.
Why do the sun and planet appear to be moving through fixed stars?
The Sun and orbiting planets are MUCH closer to the Earth than other stars.
How do scientists know that planets are closer to earth than the stars?
not a clue
Why does the moon appear to be larger than the planets?
The moon appears much larger than the planets because it is closer.
Why does the moon appear bigger than the stars?
Because it is way closer than other stars!
Why do stars planets and moons do not collide it self?
The moon is many times closer to the Earth than the stars are.
Why do planets wander?
The ancient Greeks called planets 'wanderers' because they appear to move through ther skies in relation to the 'fixed' stars. The apparent movement is because the planets are much closer to the Earth than the stars, and all planets rotate around the Sun, thus all move in relation to each other.
Why do planets move across the night sky but stars don't?
The planets are closer. (They all move - and differently.)
Why do some dwarf stars appear brighter than giant stars?
Because they are closer or actually brighter.
