Do stars lower in the sky or higher, twinkle more?
2007-06-18 07:42:44 · 10 answers · asked by sugarae01 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Stars lower in the sky closer to the horizon appear to twinkle more than stars that are higher. That is because the light of stars near the horizon has to travel through more air than the light of stars overhead and so is subject to more refraction.
Stars appear as tiny dots in the sky As their light travels through the many layers of the Earth's atmosphere, the light of the star is bent (refraction) many times and in random directions. This random refraction results in the star winking out looking as though the star moves a bit, and our eye interprets this as twinkling.
2007-06-18 08:03:40 · answer #1 · answered by ♥ lani s 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Stars appear to twinkle because their light is passing through Earth's atmosphere. When you see a star lower in the sky (closer to the horizon), its light is passing through more of the atmosphere, so it makes sense that it would twinkle more.
2007-06-18 14:51:22 · answer #2 · answered by Eric in Philly 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
the twinkling of a star is usually caused by the numerous times the light from the star refracts and reflects at different layers in the earth's atmosphere.
i should think that the higher the star, the more distance the light has to travel from it and therefore, there is a large difference between the angles of light from the same star and so more twinkling effect.
the closer a star is, the less it twinkles.
2007-06-18 15:15:12 · answer #3 · answered by amandac 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Stars themselves do not twinkle. They appear to twinkle when the light is altered by coming through the Earth's atmoshpere. They'd twinkle more where the Earth's atmosphere is thicker... which would be closer to the horizon.
2007-06-18 14:55:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The preceding answer is incorrect. Stars twinkle because their light passes through our turbulant atmosphere. The more atmosphere the light has to pass through, the more turbulance it's likely to encounter, so yes - they appear to twinkle more the lower in the sky they appear, as their light must travel through more air before you see it.
2007-06-18 14:53:18 · answer #5 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
doesnt make much of a difference where they're at in the sky. they all look like theyre twinkling because of the light passing through our atmosphere.
2007-06-18 15:40:45 · answer #6 · answered by Nunna Yorz 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
how i wonder what you are...
stars are burning balls of gas in space, so i guess they all twinkle the same until they burn out (shooting stars).
2007-06-18 14:51:30 · answer #7 · answered by clara 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
it doesn't matter how high or lower they are in the sky. its how gaseous they are. or something scientific like that. you do know stars are balls of gas burning billions of miles away?
2007-06-18 14:49:13 · answer #8 · answered by ~*~ chiclets gum ~*~ 4 · 1⤊ 4⤋
i think higher but im not sure
2007-06-18 14:50:51 · answer #9 · answered by tlk_soccer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yahoo?
2007-06-18 14:50:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋