Why do stars appear to twinkle?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the explanation behind the phenomenon of stars twinkling, which involves understanding atmospheric effects and the way light travels through different layers of the Earth's atmosphere.
Answer
The Earth's atmosphere bends and distorts starlight, causing twinkling.
Stars appear to twinkle because the light from them is affected by the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends and distorts the light through refraction caused by varying temperatures and densities of air.
Answer for screen readers
Stars appear to twinkle because the light from them is affected by the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends and distorts the light through refraction caused by varying temperatures and densities of air.
More Information
Gases in Earth's atmosphere produce varying densities and temperatures that refract starlight, breaking it into shifting paths so it seems to twinkle.
Sources
- Why do stars twinkle? | BBC Sky at Night Magazine - skyatnightmagazine.com
- Why do stars twinkle in the night sky? - Quora - quora.com
- Why do stars appear to twinkle? - Cool Cosmos - coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu
