Final answer:
The Sun, Moon, and stars are all celestial bodies but differ in many ways, including their size, brightness, distance from Earth, and influence on our planet. The Sun is a star that provides energy for life on Earth, while the Moon is Earth's natural satellite influencing the tides. Stars are distant suns, some of which form constellations with apparent fixed patterns in the sky.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sun, Moon, and stars share several commonalities yet also have distinct differences. They are all celestial bodies visible from Earth, they influence the night and day sky, and they have been studied since ancient times for both navigation and as part of various cultural beliefs and practices. The Sun is a star at the center of our solar system, providing light and heat critical for life on Earth. The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and is visible in the sky due to the sunlight it reflects. Stars, including the Sun, are immense gas spheres emitting light and heat from nuclear fusion reactions in their cores.
Despite these similarities, they differ in several ways. The Sun, unlike other stars, is proximate enough to exert significant gravitational influence on our planet and to appear as a disc in the sky. The Moon is much closer and thus has noticeable phases and impacts on tides due to its gravitational pull on Earth. In contrast, stars are distant suns, many of which can form constellations which appear to have fixed patterns in the sky.
Historically, ancient Greeks recognized that five planets (planets meaning 'wanderers') differed from stars due to their movement relative to the fixed stars. They move across the sky in a path close to the ecliptic similar to the Sun and Moon's paths. The Moon orbits Earth and thus moves noticeably against the background of the fixed stars, about 13 degrees per day, completing its cycle in approximately 27.3 days.