Possible misenterpretations of the known universe

[MrModesty]

After observing an icicle the other day, I came to the conclusion that perhaps some of the "stars" that we see in space could just be reflections. Is it possible that we are seeing light passed through a mostly ice object and accounting it for a dimmer star? This seems most plausible at greater distances. Of course, this is just my imagination running rampant. Thanks for any help.

 

[Chronos]

The short answer is gravitational influence. While not all stars are subject to gravitational influence, there are enough to suggest they are real.

 

[MrModesty]

The short answer is gravitational influence. While not all stars are subject to gravitational influence, there are enough to suggest they are real.

Can we really account for most stars gravitational influence? By gravitational influence, I'm assuming that you mean on other stars in their galaxies. Wouldn't this be harder to gauge the farther away you get?

 

[Chronos]

I should clarify that all stars are subject to gravitational influence, but not all such effects are directly observable. Reflections in space would be far too faint to mimic a star.