How do you know if a star is a planet?

Answer 1

A planet does not twinkle.

Answer 2

Two ways.
The easiest is that stars twinkle, planets dont. The reason is that they are much closer to use and their apparent diameter to use is a LOT wider, so atmospheric disturbances wont distort the light from reaching our eyes. Meanwhile stars are too far away to overcome this, even though they are hundreds (or more) times bigger. A simple look through a personal telescope proves this, all the visible planets appear larger in a telescope - you can see the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, Venus - well it has no surface features, but it can fill the viewfinder. But no matter how strong your personal telescope is, stars appear as small specs.

The second method to know a star from a planet is - the zodiak, planets appear in a linear plane in the sky (the twelve constellations that planets go through form the bases of astrology). If you see a point of light in that is in this plane, there is a possibility it is a planet. If you watch the relative positions of the stars over the course of several nights, and one of them moves, it is a planet.

Also, bright star-like objects around dusk or dawn, that dont stay around throughout the night are likely to be Mercury or Venus. Since they are closer to the Sun than us, they appear to 'follow' the Sun, and appear around the same time it is near dawn/dusk.

Answer 3

If you are familiar with the zodiac constellations, you can easily spot planets as the extra stars in the pattern. A planet will also move slightly over the course of several days. Planets tend not to twinkle as much as stars, though this isn't always a clear-cut distinction. Through a telescope, planets will look show clean disks, while stars will show only a diffraction pattern.

Answer 4

Stars and planets are two different things. Stars are never planets. But I think I know what you mean. When you are looking at a star it will "twinkle" or pulsate, and if it is a planet it will tend to emit a more steady light.

If you live in the states you can look to the west right after sunset and see Venus......it is the brightest thing in the sky right now.

Answer 5

You can tell if a star is a planet if it doesnt twinkle. It sounds silly, but I am a huge Space person. I love learning about it. And I always go outside at night to see what I can see in the night sky. The stars twinkle: blue, red or white. Planet are just that solid white star with no color other than white and that dont twinkle! Hope this helped! :D

Answer 6

Also, stars rarely change position whereas planets often change position. If you think a star is a planet, take note of it's position and look at it the next night. If it's position has changed, it's likely a planet.

Answer 7

Honey, i'll tell you which star is a planet. That Rosie O'Donell is the biggest planet in Hollywood right now. I sent Rosario to go stick a flag in her but she never made it back. I hope she didn't fall in a crator because i'm still making payments on her.

Answer 8

the sites provided may help you with your question..

What is a Planet?:

http://astro.berkeley.edu/~basri/defineplanet/whatsaplanet.htm

http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/planet_worldbook.html

Binary star:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_star

The Great Planet Debate:
Defining the Word "Planet" :

http://www.librarising.com/misc/planethood.html