Choose two letter choices from the following list. Then, in 3-5 complete sentences, explain how they are different by contrasting their characteristics. (Hint: Think about their characteristics and how they are formed.) (a) Star and planet (b) Asteroid and comet (c) Meteoroid and comet (d) Galaxy and constellation

Question

(write like an 8th grader)

Answer 1

I will choose (a) star and planet. Stars and planets have very different characteristics that set them apart. Stars, like our Sun, are massive celestial bodies that produce their own light and energy through nuclear fusion, often found at the center of solar systems. In contrast, planets are smaller bodies that orbit stars and do not produce their own light; they reflect the light from their parent star instead. Additionally, stars often form from clouds of gas and dust collapsing under their own gravity, while planets form from the leftover material in a star's disk after it has formed. This fundamental difference in how they form and behave makes stars and planets unique in the universe.