Why is the Sun not a planet but a star?

Question

tell me why because i don't know because i am still a kid.

Answer 1

It's made of gas and is so massive that it produces light and heat by nuclear reactions in its core.

Answer 2

Believe it or not, there is no scientifically defined answer to this question yet!

In general, stars are self-luminous (give off light), and planets orbit a star and do not give off light.

The definition of "star" and "planet" can become blurred in some cases. Technically even planets can give off some light (Jupiter for instance emits twice as much heat, a form of light, than it receives from the sun). Also, a planet may become free of its orbit around a its star (its sun).

Planets got their name from appearing to be stars that wandered around. This is due to the fact that they are much closer to us than the real stars, and because they, as well as the earth, orbit the sun, but at different rates.

For the most part, planets reflect the sun's light and only appear to shine. Their light is bright enough to rival the lights from the stars because the stars are so very far away.

Answer 3

The sun is our star. It is the star around which all the planets in our solar system revolve, including the earth. Stars like our sun are giant balls of burning gas (mostly hydrogen) which have huge gravitational pull, and planets like the earth are caught in this gravity. The paths they take are called orbits, and each planet has its own orbit, to go round and round the sun for billions of years. Planets are much smaller than suns and are usually much cooler and mostly solid. Many of those other stars (or suns) you can in the night sky probably have planets going round them too. And there may even be some just like our earth.

Answer 4

Put in the simplest terms,

1. A planet has a solid rocky core while a star is a ball of super hot plasma (gas) like a giant nuclear reactor in space.

2. Planets shine by reflected light from a star where as a star creates it's own light.

Answer 5

Why is the Sun not a planet but a star?

Answer 6

The sun is a huge ball of hydrogen so massive that its gravity compresses its center enough that the material heats up enough to undergo nuclear fusion. This produces a lot of heat and light. Jupiter is our largest planet and it is mostly hydrogen, but it is about 1/7 the mass it would need to become a star.

Answer 7

Size, composition, and how many celestial bodies revolve around it. These are all factors in determining star/planet/moon status. Remember that recently Pluto was demoted to less than planet status because of it's size, distance, and composition from the sun.

Answer 8

It's a matter of definition. To be a planet, a body cannot be a star -- it must be visible by reflected light, not because it is a light source itself.

Answer 9

"The basic difference between a star and a planet is that a star emits light produced in its interior by nuclear 'burning', whereas a planet only shines by reflected light."

Answer 10

Simple answer: Fusion. You got nuclear fusion, you got a star, not a planet. (er, not counting the man-made H-bomb of course!)