Why do the stars wiggle & darts around if you look closely?

Answer 1

They don't - what you are seeing is the atmosphere shimmering due to heat, pollution etc and the light of the stars appearing to move as a result... like watching something underwater when there are ripples on the water

Answer 2

If you looked at the stars through the Hubble telescope, they would not be clouded by the atmosphere and by light in the environment. The light of the stars approaches us at a constant speed and so doesn't actually move in a way you can perceive it with the naked eye. It's just an illusion because of the atmosphere and the environment.

Answer 3

It is known as scintillation.

When you look at the stars you are looking through the atmosphere, which acts like a giant lens. However, since there are pockets of hot and cold air along the way it is not a perfect lens. The result is a view of the stars that "twinkle".

Answer 4

Because mostly it means you can't stay still enough make the stars seem still. Even breathing affects your vision to some extent, as it's moving your body, so it moves your head,and you have to keep refocusing, if you aren't good at it, it appears they're moving around.

- The Gremlin Guy -

Answer 5

The stars are suns and there is water vapor and other things that make the star look kind of wiggly and stuff.

Answer 6

Its a phenomenon called auto kinesis.(not sure of the spelling) Its simply an optical illusion.

Answer 7

You're not standing completely still to begin with.

And if it looks like they're flickering it's because of thin clouds passing in front of them.

Answer 8

They don't - those are involuntary movements of your eye.