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Stars in the universe twinkle because of refraction not gravity.

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Q: Do stars twinkle due to refraction or gravity?
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How do stars twinkle in the absence of oxygen?

They twinkle due to air, not specifically oxygen. If there is no air, they won't twinkle.


What if stars didn't twinkle?

Unlikely. Galaxies form from stars pulling each other together. If there were no galaxies, it would be indicative of a lack of forces between the stars. Which roughly means no gravity. Which also means no us.


Why do the stars glow above?

I'm assuming that the question is "why do the stars twinkle" The light from stars passes through our atmosphere and gets refracted several times due to the varying density of the air. Also, this density doesn't remain constant at each layer. This constantly alters the light wave direction (which gets bent due to refraction) and the luminosity (due to varying density). This gives us an illusion that the star is getting dimmed and brighting up. It is similar to watching the sun through a mirage and it looks as if we are watching it through water. In this case, the hot air is distorting the sun's light. If we are in the outer space, the stars dont twinkle. they just glow.


What causes a star to twinkle?

That is because the atmosphere has moving pockets of warm and cold area. These move back and forth. When a stars light goes threw the atmosphere, it moves back and forth, just like the warm and cold pockets.-Tgmhc


Does black hole have the highest refractive index?

No. A black hole does not have a refractive index. The bending of light around a black hole is due to gravity, which is entirely different from refraction.

Related questions

How do stars twinkle in the absence of oxygen?

They twinkle due to air, not specifically oxygen. If there is no air, they won't twinkle.


What is the fuzzy cloud around the stars?

Stars appear to twinkle and are fuzzy due to the earths atmosphere


Which stars twinkle the most?

The twinkle comes from atmospheric conditions on earth, if lower in the horizon, then the twinkle is increased as the light has to pass through more atmosphere. Air pollution nearer urban areas also effects the twinkle. No particular stars twinkle more than others, it's mainly due to their position in the sky and local atmospheric conditions.


How are stars made with no gravity?

They aren't. Stars form as a result of a cloud of gas collapsing due to gravity.


What if stars didn't twinkle?

Unlikely. Galaxies form from stars pulling each other together. If there were no galaxies, it would be indicative of a lack of forces between the stars. Which roughly means no gravity. Which also means no us.


Why do the stars glow above?

I'm assuming that the question is "why do the stars twinkle" The light from stars passes through our atmosphere and gets refracted several times due to the varying density of the air. Also, this density doesn't remain constant at each layer. This constantly alters the light wave direction (which gets bent due to refraction) and the luminosity (due to varying density). This gives us an illusion that the star is getting dimmed and brighting up. It is similar to watching the sun through a mirage and it looks as if we are watching it through water. In this case, the hot air is distorting the sun's light. If we are in the outer space, the stars dont twinkle. they just glow.


Do stars twinkle?

Not really. A star seems to twinkle because its light all comes from a single tiny pointand has to go through Earth's turbulent atmosphere. Planets don't twinkle, becausetheir light comes from a larger point. And in orbit or on the moon, stars don't either.They do not -so viewing them from space they do not.Only viewing them from Earth do theydo that, due to the atmosphere interference.No, stars really don't twinkle in the sky. The reason that stars seem to twinkle when you look at them is because there is a lot of atmosphere between you and the clouds. This causes the stars to disappear for a fraction of a second and reappear, making them seem to twinkle.No, stars really don't twinkle in the sky. The reason that stars seem to twinkle when you look at them is because there is a lot of atmosphere between you and the clouds. This causes the stars to disappear for a fraction of a second and reappear, making them seem to twinkle.


How can you identify stars and planets?

Stars 'twinkle', planets do not. This is due to the proximity of planets, the light from which does not pass through so much dust and vary accordingly.


Why do astronauts in orbit around Earth see a black sky with stars that do not twinkle but see a blue earth?

Stars twinkle due to the scattering effect of earth's atmosphere. In space this is no atmosphere, thus they do not twinkle. The sky is black in space because there is no scattering of light as there is in the atmosphere. The earth appears blue from space due to the color of the gases in the atmosphere, and their reflected light on large bodies of water.


Why stars are in the shape of a star?

They are not star-shaped. Stars are actually spherical due to gravity.


How stars twinkle?

Stars are hundreds or thousands of light years away from us, so they can be considered as point sources of lights. The light rays emitted by these stars enter into the earth's atmosphere and undergoes continuous refraction, because each layer of earth's atmosphere has different density. They go on refracting and the light rays reaching our eyes will be bended like an arc. Thus we see the stars in an apparent position, which is slightly different from the actual position. Due to continuous refraction the amount of light gets fluctuated. We see that the position is slightly altered. This causes the Twinkling effect.


How do stars form?

Stars form from an accumulation of gas and dust, which collapses due to gravity and starts to form stars.