When we look up at the night sky, the majority of the bright points of light we see are indeed stars. Stars are luminous celestial objects that generate their own light through the process of nuclear fusion. They are enormous balls of hot, glowing gas, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium.
However, there are instances where we can observe planets with the naked eye. In our solar system, five planets are often visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These planets, also referred to as "wandering stars" in ancient times, can be distinguished from stars by their steady light and their ability to move across the sky over time.
Planets do not produce their own light but instead reflect the light of their host star. When we observe planets from Earth, we are seeing sunlight that is reflected off their surfaces. While stars appear as mere points of light, planets generally exhibit a disc-like shape and can sometimes show phases similar to those of the Moon.
In addition to the five planets visible to the naked eye, with the aid of telescopes, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets orbiting stars beyond our solar system. These exoplanets are generally not visible to the naked eye but are detected through indirect methods such as observing their effects on their parent star's light or measuring their transits across the star's surface.
So, in summary, while most of the bright objects we see in the night sky are stars, there are occasions when we can observe planets as well, either with the naked eye or with the help of telescopes.