What Makes a Star Twinkle?

Stars seem to twinkle because the air in our atmosphere is constantly moving. When star light goes through the air, it bends a little, like when you look at a straw in a glass of water and it seems bent. This bending makes the stars appear to blink or flash.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A star looks like it's blinking when you're outside on a cool night.
  2. It’s like looking at a candle through moving smoke in a room.
  3. The wind makes the air above us move, making stars appear to flicker.

Ask a question

See also

Loading…

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Space · stars· astronomy· light· atmosphere