what is the star in the east by northeast sky at night that has flashes of red in it?

Question

it twinkles a lot

Answer 1

I believe the star you are asking about is Capella. Capella’s red and green flashes come from the refraction of its light by our atmosphere. When you see Capella higher in the sky, these glints of red and green will disappear. The reason you can see Capella so clearly is because it's the 6th brightest star in Earth’s sky, not including our sun. Capella is part of the constellation Auriga the Charioteer, but since recently it has been called the “Goat Star.”

Answer 2

Mars is bright enough to attract your attention, and is in that part of the sky in the evening for nothern hemisphere observers.

Other candidates include Capella and Betelgeuse, but they don't stand out anywhere nearly as much as Mars does. Also, Mars shows a pronounced reddish-orange colour to the naked eye; the colours of Capella (bluish-white) and Betelgeuse (orange) are much more subtle.

Answer 3

Probably Mars or Betelgeuse
Twinkling is caused by ripples in Earth's atmosphere, not the star/planet itself.

Answer 4

We can't answer this question accurately unless we know exactly WHERE you are located and WHAT TIME of night you're observing. The stars are in different positions depending on your latitude and the time of night, because the Earth is rotating. Without knowing location and time, all you get are wild guesses. like the answers so far.

Answer 5

Mars-------- its a planet not a star.

You can download a free Planetarium software at
www.stellarium.org which will help you learn the sky, and identify objects you are seeing.

Also--------- www.skymaps.com publishes a free star chart every month, which you can download.

Answer 6

Hi. East by southeast? That is Mars.

Answer 7

THAT IS PROBABLY MARS HUN