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Stars appear to twinkle (blink) because the light from them must reach us by passing through the atmosphere of the earth. By doing this, the light will experience some "distortion" (refraction is the physics term) to a greater or lesser degree.

We see this because of light's passage through layers of air with differing temperatures, pressures, densities, moisture content and other factors. All of them will have a subtle effect on the light, and it will "waver" a bit so that we get a "twinkle" when we look at the stars. Temperature differences are well known for distorting light, and the "heat waves" we see when objects are viewed through air with differing temperatures in the path of the light are things we can generally recall. On a hot day, air above the heated surface of a dark colored vehicle appears to "shimmer" because of the "heat" rising from the vehicle. Light from the stars came a long way to get here for us to see it, but it is its passage through earth's atmosphere that gives it the greatest difficulty. And we see the difficulty the light has getting through the atmosphere 'cause it just can't stay in a straight line. The small "shifts" the light takes in its travel appear as the "twinkle" of the stars.

The apparent twinkling of stars is actually caused by our atmosphere. As light passes through it, it is slightly interfered with. The lower a star is, the more atmosphere its light is having to pass through, so stars nearer the horizon seem to twinkle a lot more than those higher up or overhead.

Clouds, heat waves and other distortions in our atmosphere momentarily blocking the view of the star from earth. Stars twinkle because of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere.

Stars twinkle (and planets do not) because stars appear to us only as points of light. For instance, the very nearest star (other than the Sun) presents no bigger a disk to us than a dime would at a hundred miles away. The tiny aperture means the stream of light is easily perturbed by motion in the atmosphere, generally caused by rising heat. In space, stars do not twinkle.

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Do you see stars twinkle if you live on the moon?

No. Stars twinkle on Earth because the light beams have to enter the atmosphere, altering the brightness of the star by the second. Since the moon really doesn't have a atmosphere, stars seen from there wouldn't twinkle.


Why don't stars twinkle from the moon?

Stars do not twinkle from the moon because the moon does not have an atmosphere like the Earth does. The twinkling of stars is caused by the light from the stars passing through the Earth's atmosphere and being distorted by the movement of air currents. Since the moon lacks an atmosphere, the light from the stars does not twinkle when viewed from its surface.


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.


Why do stars twinkle on a clear night?

Interference from Earth's atmosphere.


How do you write an essay on how stars twinkle?

To write an essay on how stars twinkle, you can start by explaining the scientific phenomenon behind star twinkling, known as atmospheric turbulence. Discuss how light from stars gets refracted as it passes through Earth's atmosphere, leading to twinkling. Address factors that influence the intensity of twinkling, such as air temperature and wind speed. Conclude by exploring the beauty and symbolism of stars twinkling in the night sky.

Related Questions

What is a very easy guitar song?

twinkle twinkle little stars? twinkle twinkle little stars?


Do stars twinkle due to refraction or gravity?

Stars in the universe twinkle because of refraction not gravity.


Is there any songs that talk about stars Have different adjectives that describe stars Like twinkle twinkle little stars or can you give as much adjectives that talk about stars as you can?

NO!


How do stars twinkle in the absence of oxygen?

Stars twinkle due to the Earth's atmosphere and its turbulence, which causes the light from stars to refract and flicker as it passes through. The twinkling effect is not related to the presence of oxygen specifically, so stars can still appear to twinkle in the absence of oxygen.


What was Taylor Lautner's favorite song when he was a child?

It was twinkle twinkle little stars


What nursery rhyme compares the stars with the sparkling diamonds?

It's not really a nursery rhyme, but a song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".


Why is it that stars twinkle for earth but not from the moon?

This is because the Earth's atmosphere has many layers which causes the rays of light coming from the stars to refract. This gives the effect that stars twinkle. The air around the moon does not have layers so the rays from the stars do not refract, and thus do not twinkle.


Do you see stars twinkle if you live on the moon?

No. Stars twinkle on Earth because the light beams have to enter the atmosphere, altering the brightness of the star by the second. Since the moon really doesn't have a atmosphere, stars seen from there wouldn't twinkle.


How can you say that the shining object is a planet or stars?

Planet: No twinkle Star: Shimmer and twinkle


Why do stars seems to twinkle?

because when the light enters the atmosphere it goes in zigzags or long dot zigzags


How are stars like glitter?

Because they twinkle.


Do stars twinkle if see from the moon surface?

No.