What Makes Stars Twinkle?

What Makes Stars Twinkle?

Tools

Story Published: Apr 29, 2003 at 8:09 PM PST

Story Updated: Mar 13, 2008 at 12:13 PM PST

By Steve Pool

SEATTLE - We're all familiar with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," but it's not the star itself that's doing the twinkling -- it's our own atmosphere.

Our atmosphere is a turbulent place. The waves of air moving about bend and bounce the light rays around a little bit, just like you'd see if you shine a flashlight under a glass of water and then look down the glass while swirling it a bit. Your eye picks up the slight adjustments in the star's light as a twinkle. Stars near the horizon twinkle more than those overhead because the light passes through more of the atmosphere near the horizon. Out in space, stars don't twinkle at all.

Why don't planets twinkle? They are closer to Earth, so they appear a little larger in the sky, to the point where you don't notice the slight adjustments in their light beam.

For More Information:

ask.yahoo.com
www.enchantedlearning.com
www.bbc.co.uk
antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov

Weather & Traffic

Icon
Current Temp 49.0 °F
Overcast
More Weather

Weather & Traffic

More Weather

On Demand

Stay Connected

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Viewer Poll

Vote for the best high school play of the week -- Watch the plays!

  • Issaquah's Peterson Pulls Away
  • Runaway Ref
  • O'Dea's Forch The Porsche