Why do stars twinkle?

The truth of the matter is that they do not.

 

If you are outside on a clear night and it is dark where you are, you may notice that the stars appear to be blinking. Because the idea is so well-known, it was chosen to serve as the basis for one of the most well-known and well-loved children's songs ever written.

 

But what kind of scientific phenomenon lies behind this glittering scene? What exactly is it about the stars that cause them to shine so brightly?

 

It seems that the song "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" may have been given the wrong name.

 

The stars don't blink like that.

 

The straightforward response to the question of why stars twinkle is that they do not. The stars themselves are not responsible for the blinking that we observe on their surfaces. On the contrary, it is because we are viewing them from the perspective of Earth.

 

Because of how far away the stars are, we only perceive them as very small points of light when we look up at the night sky.

 

According to Ryan French, a solar physicist at University College London in the United Kingdom, the light from the stars has to travel a tremendous distance before it reaches human eyes. After the sun, which is our home star and is located at an average distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth, Proxima Centauri is the next closest star to us and is located at a distance of more than four light-years from our planet.

 

The sparkling effect is caused by light from faraway stars colliding with the atmosphere of Earth as it travels to our eyes. This is the primary agent behind the phenomenon.

 

According to French, "when this pinpoint of light enters the environment, it travels through layers of wavy air before arriving at our eyes, which causes it to twinkle."

 

It appears that the stars are twinkling because the atmosphere of Earth is moving slightly back and forth. When viewed from space, far above the Earth's atmosphere, the stars do not blink or move at all. (This is one of the reasons why the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit: it could capture clearer pictures of space without having to contend with the blurring effects of atmospheric turbulence.)

 

What causes some stars to shine brighter than others?

 

There are a lot of things that can influence how brightly a star appears to twinkle. The location of the star in our field of view is one variable.

 

According to French, "stars will twinkle more if their starlight travels through more air before reaching our eyes." As a result, stars that are closer to the horizon appear to twinkle more because their light has to travel through a greater distance of atmosphere before reaching our eyes.

 

The weather is another factor to consider. According to French, "humid evenings will also make the air thicker," which gives the impression that the stars are shining brighter.

 

When astronomers are trying to decide where to put the largest and most advanced telescopes in the world, these considerations help influence their decisions. According to French, "Observatories are located in high, dry regions in order to remove as much air between the star and the telescope as possible."

 

The volcanic peaks of Hawaii and the Canary Islands in Spain, as well as the bone-dry Atacama Desert in Chile, are both excellent choices for vacation destinations. These areas are instances of what astronomers refer to as having "excellent viewing," and they are located in various parts of the world. It isn't easy to see in thick air because it causes a lot of wobble or twinkle, but it is possible to see clearly in dry, quiet, and thin air.

 

When you look up at the night sky, you will also notice that some of the stars appear to change colors as they twinkle. This is something that you might see if you pay attention. A prime example is Sirius, which is the brightest star visible from Earth's surface at night.

 

According to the French, "starlight is slightly refracted" (bent) by the atmosphere, which might result in the light having a different color. This effect is more obvious with stars that have a higher brightness.

 

There are also a few "stars" that do not twinkle at all, which you might observe. This is because they are, in fact, planets. According to French, "unlike stars, planets do not appear as point sources in the sky; rather, they have width." "This is due to the fact that they are situated a great deal closer to us." To put it another way, they take up too much space in the night sky for the atmosphere to give the impression that they are twinkling.

 

However, if you look at the planets or even the moon via a telescope, you will still see that they shimmer. This is because the light that you are seeing has been jolted by the atmosphere on its route to your eyes, and this causes the planets and the moon to appear to shimmer.

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/32315-why-do-stars-twinkle.html

Image source   : https://pixabay.com/id/vectors/bintang-jatuh-langit-malam-gelap-2024127/

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