What Causes the Twinkling of Stars?

  • Thread starter billy_boy_999
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In summary, stars twinkle because the atmosphere is turbulent and the refraction of light varies from moment to moment. Planets don't twinkle because their light is from many points on the surface.
  • #1
billy_boy_999
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why do stars twinkle? (or why do they look like they're twinkling?)
 
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  • #2
Stars are so far away that they appear as point sources of light. The Earth's atmosphere is turbulent, so the refraction of the light varies from moment to moment. One moment you see the star, the next moment the light doesn't reach your eye: thus it appears to twinkle.

Planets, on the other hand, are close enough that they have an apparent diameter. Thus you can think of the planet's light as being from many points on it's surface. The light from one particular point may disappear momentarily, but it is unlikely that all the light will be refracted away. So the light from planets appears much steadier and less sensitive to slight variations of refractive index in the atmosphere.
 
  • #3
Good question billy boy 999. (& great answer Doc Al)
Don't worry about asking these kinds of questions. They're fun.
 
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  • #4
Don't Believe A Word Of It . . .

Have you ever logged the on/off sequence of the twinkle. Did you ever try to decode it by using Morse and then looking for a language key.

It is obvious - THEY ARE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH US. Or else they are beaming electronic signals to our brain in hopes of controlling our behaviour (which is why I wear this aluminum foil on my head)
 
  • #5
lol

thanks guys...it's nice to have a...broad range of scientific opinion on these things...and I've been naively throwing my tin foil in the garbage...
 
  • #6
You may be interested to know that the twinkling contains information that can be used, e.g. to detect close binaries. Speckle interferometry, for example, uses the 'twinkles' to reconstruct an 'image' of the star. In adaptive optics, all sorts of interesting techniques are used to remove the twinkling ... and this involves pretty deep understanding of the origin and nature of 'twinkles'. Time to re-write the nursery rhyme? :wink:
 

1. Why do stars twinkle in the night sky?

Stars appear to twinkle due to the Earth's atmosphere. As light from the stars travels through the atmosphere, it gets refracted or bent, due to changes in temperature and density. This causes the light to appear to flicker, giving the illusion of twinkling.

2. Do all stars twinkle?

Yes, all stars twinkle to some extent. However, the brightness and color of the star can affect how much it appears to twinkle. Brighter stars tend to twinkle less than dimmer stars.

3. Why do planets not twinkle like stars?

Unlike stars, planets are much closer to Earth and therefore appear larger in the night sky. This means that the light from planets is less affected by the Earth's atmosphere, causing them to appear more steady and not twinkle.

4. Can stars twinkle during the day?

Yes, stars can still twinkle during the day, but they are not visible due to the brightness of the sun. The only time stars can be seen twinkling during the day is during a solar eclipse, when the sun's brightness is blocked by the moon.

5. Do stars twinkle in space?

No, stars do not twinkle in space. Since there is no atmosphere in space, there is no refraction of light and therefore no twinkling effect. This is why stars appear to be more steady when viewed from space.

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