• Question: why do stars twinkle

    Asked by to Kate on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Kate Salmon

      Kate Salmon answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      Hi @pop112- stars twinkle because the light from a star has to make it through the atmosphere of the earth before we can see it. The atmosphere is very thick and constantly moving so when the light from the star travels through it, it actually gets deflected in lots of ways before making it through to the earth’s surface. Because the light is getting moved in different directions, it looks like the star is twinkling.

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