The stars were blinking different colors real fast, blue, red yellow, green and white. I have noticed this several times now.
2006-08-31 02:34:33 · 14 answers · asked by carsugmar 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It was probably just unusually vigorous twinkling. Twinkling is caused by turbulence in the atmosphere, when regions of slightly different air density act like lenses and prisms. The result is not only fast changes in brightness, but color too.
2006-08-31 02:38:28 · answer #1 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
You are seeing the effects of scintillation in the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is not generally well mixed. Bubbles of air at different temperatures and, most importantly, with different water vapor content, are rising and falling within the atmosphere. A change in water vapor content causes a change in refractive index. Light from a star passing through the atmosphere is refracted to varying degrees by the bubbles. This results in twinkling. The color change that you see is caused by refraction of the different colors in the same way that a prism will refract light and split it into different color.
2006-08-31 03:18:23 · answer #2 · answered by Stewart H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stars all have colors of some kind, which are created by their level of heat and the atmosphere around them--there are concepts called the emission and absorption spectrum, and different elements absorb different colors just as different levels of raditaion (heat) emit different colors.
As to why they changed colors, my best guess would be that you were in an area with a lot of air pollution, so other things in the air are passing between the star and your eye, affecting the color spectrum. Best guess, mind you.
2006-08-31 02:42:58 · answer #3 · answered by angk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Few possibilities:
1) What you saw was not a star, but an airplane. They have running lights that will blink in different colors.
2) Same as above, but a satellite.
3) You saw a pulsar (unlikely).
4) You noticed the "twinkling" inherent to stars, but is actually caused by atmospheric distrubance in the sky. Stars do not actually twinkle...they just look like they do from here.
2006-08-31 02:41:21 · answer #4 · answered by Jay 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
As light passes thru the atmosphere, it's broken down
into its fundamental spectrum of colors. Like a mini
rainbow. The atmosphere has warm and cool spots as well
as wind so with all that movement and you get the twinkle
phenomenon. In outer space, since there's no atmosphere, you get no twinkle, just a steady white light.
2006-08-31 02:44:13 · answer #5 · answered by albert 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is the reflection of light off of the atmosphere and with the addition of pollution it makes for wonderful colors.
2006-08-31 02:41:19 · answer #6 · answered by Gabe 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"This is because of scintillation ("Twinkling") as the light passes through the atmosphere of the Earth. As the air moves in and out, the starlight is refracted, often different colors in different directions. Because of this "chromatic abberation," stars can appear to change colors when they are twinkling strongly."
See link.
2006-08-31 02:39:35 · answer #7 · answered by Zhimbo 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What you are seeing isn't stars at all. I would say they are satellites the colors being relected are the colors of the visible light spectrum being refracted off of the satellites solar panels.
2006-08-31 02:39:54 · answer #8 · answered by Joe 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This effect, or the "Twinkling" os caused by the atmosphere
2006-08-31 02:39:58 · answer #9 · answered by Marty McFly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be the Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights - depends where you live!
2006-08-31 02:44:00 · answer #10 · answered by brudoo32 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋