What are the differences between stars and planets

can you please make it easy for an 11 year old to understand? thanks!

Stars are nuclear fusion reactors that make light. Planets are rocks or gas balls that can only reflect light from stars.

Lets compare the sun and earth
earths diameter: 3,925 miles - Suns diameter: 431,852 mi

Composition(what its made of) Earth: Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Magnesium.
Suns Composition: Hydrogen and Helium basically.

Suns surface temperature: 9980 degrees - Earths surface tempature 57 degrees (on average)

Theres 3 major differences, planets like earth are small rocky chunks and stars are a very violent place where million of nukes go off every second.

PLANETS
The planets move relative to stars on celestial sphere.
The nearer and larger planets appear as disks in telescope.
The brighter planets do not "twinkle".
The planets are always near the imaginary yearly path of the sun on the celestial sphere (the ecliptic).

STARS
The relative positions of the stars are fixed on celestial sphere.
The stars appear as "points" of light, even through the telescope.
The stars appear to "twinkle".
Stars can be anywhere on the celestial sphere.

Do you know what mass is? It has to do with mass (aka massive) stars are large enough to burn hydrogen and helium (Thermonuclear fusion) in the core. Whereas a planet isn't.

The only difference between a star and a planet is the amount of mass each one has. A star has enough mass so that it generates light. A planet just doesn't have enough mass for nuclear fusion to start or be maintained in its core like a star does.

http://mbeck.hubpages.com/hub/the_differ…

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/questio…