Imagine you're looking at a candle through a wobbly glass of water. The flame flickers and changes shape because the water is moving around it. Stars twinkle for a similar reason, their light travels through Earth’s air, which is always moving. When the air moves, the starlight bends in different ways, making the stars appear to shimmer or blink.
Examples
- A candle flame seems to dance when you look at it through a moving stream of water.
- A flashlight beam flickers as it passes through a wobbly jar filled with oil.
- A distant car light appears to blink more as it moves closer to the horizon.
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See also
- Why Do Stars Twinkle in the Night Sky?
- Why Do Stars Twinkle?
- What Causes the ‘Twinkling’ of Stars at Night?
- How Do Stars Get Their Different Colors?
- Why Do Stars Twinkle in the Sky?
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