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planets are much closer to us than the stars
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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 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 the positions of the planets change in relation to the background of stars?
They change position against the background of the distant stars because they are much closer to us, and they are orbiting around the sun, as are we.
How did the ancient astonomers know the planets were different from the stars?
Ancient astronomers can tell the difference the same way you can tell now - the planets move, while the stars stay in the same patterns. The word "planet" comes from the Greek word for "wanderer". The 'planets' were the lights in the sky that moved. Originally the Greeks included the Sun and Moon as planets, because they were light's that moved through the sky. Also, the closer and bigger planets, Jupiter, Mars & Venus are also MUCH brighter than stars. The smaller planets and the ones that are far, far away (Mercury & Saturn) are also bright - but not much brighter than the brightest stars in the sky. They also all travel in the same narrow path in the sky - the ecliptic. It's the same path the sun & moon follow in the sky through the months & year. These 7 lights were visible in the sky without telescopes - Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus & Saturn - which is how we got our 7 days of the week.
The planets appear to move through the background of stars because?
planets are much closer to us than the stars
How do you distinguish between a star and a planet?
Stars in the night sky appear fixed, since they are much further away than planets. The planets can be identified through their apparent brightness and their movement among the background stars over time.
How are planets distinguished from stars on the celestial?
planets appear to move
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.
Why do planets appear larger then stars?
because they're way closer than the stars
Why do planets appear in different locations in the night sky while stars in a constellation stay in the same place?
Because the stars are very far away and are suns like our Sun. The planets however are in orbit round our Sun and relatively close to us. We can therefore see the movement of their orbit against the background of the "fixed" 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 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 the positions of the planets change in relation to the background of stars?
They change position against the background of the distant stars because they are much closer to us, and they are orbiting around the sun, as are we.
How can an observer from earth distinguish planets from stars?
-- The planets you can see with your naked eye are generally brighter than a typical star. -- They also twinkle less than the stars do. -- Planets appear as small disks even in binoculars or small telescopes, but stars never do. -- From one night to the next, or certainly from one week to the next, the patterns formed by stars don't change, but planets move through those patterns.
How can you identify stars and planets?
Stars 'twinkle', planets do not. This is due to the proximity of planets, the light from which does not pass through so much dust and vary accordingly.
Where is the largest sunspot on Neptune?
Sunspots, as the name suggests, appear on the Sun or on stars - not on planets.
