Can a planet be as big as a star?

Can a planet be as big as a star?

When a planet gains mass beyond a particular point (Say 12 times the mass of the largest gaseous planet in the solar system – Jupiter), the gravity at its center becomes so great that nuclear fusion occurs and presto we have a proto-star. So, (theoretically) the answer is NO. A Planet cannot be larger than its star.

How does a planet differ from a star planet?

By definition, a star is a celestial object that emits its own light due to a chemical reaction at its core. A planet is a celestial body that orbits around the star in its solar system and gets its glow from the suns light reflecting from the planets face.

What is the biggest difference between a planet and a star?

The main difference between stars and planets is that stars have high temperatures compared to planets. Because they radiate energy, stars are very bright objects. Planets do not generate their own energy through nuclear reactions. They reflect some of the radiation coming from their parent star.

Why do planets look bigger than stars?

The planets are much closer, inside our solar system. Although the planets are much smaller than the stars, planets appear to be about the same size as the stars because they are so close to us. Planets don’t produce their own light. They reflect the light of the sun in the same way our moon reflects sunlight.

Are stars bigger than all the planets?

A star is what planets orbit around. Our Sun is a star which is many times bigger than all of the planets. A solar system is a star and all of its planets, asteroids, comets and other bodies. It is significantly bigger than a star.

Why are all planets round?

A planet is round because of gravity. A planet’s gravity pulls equally from all sides. Gravity pulls from the center to the edges like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. This makes the overall shape of a planet a sphere, which is a three-dimensional circle. The eight planets in our solar system differ in lots of ways. They are different sizes.

How do planets move around the stars?

When a forming planet is big enough, it starts to clear its path around the star it orbits. It uses its gravity to snag bits of space stuff. A planet’s gravity pulls equally from all sides.

Are planets made of the same thing as the Sun?

There are two flavors of planets, gas and rock. Gas planets, like Saturn and Jupiter are pretty much made of the same stuff as our Sun. Jupiter’s pretty big, but it’s actually only about 1/1000th the mass of our star.

What is the shape of a planet’s gravity?

A planet’s gravity pulls equally from all sides. Gravity pulls from the center to the edges like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. This makes the overall shape of a planet a sphere, which is a three-dimensional circle. Big, small, but all round