Category: Space > Scintillation
The twinkling of stars, scientifically known as stellar scintillation, is not caused by the stars themselves, but rather by the Earth's atmosphere. As starlight travels through the various layers of air, it encounters different temperatures, densities, and wind patterns. This turbulence causes the light to bend, or refract, in varying degrees, which creates the shimmering effect that we perceive as twinkling. Interestingly, stars that are closer to the horizon appear to twinkle more than those overhead, as their light must pass through a thicker slice of the atmosphere, encountering even more disturbances. This phenomenon highlights not just the beauty of the night sky, but also the complex interactions between celestial objects and the Earth’s atmosphere.