What causes stars to appear to flicker or twinkle when viewed from the surface of Earth?
Answer
Earth's atmosphere refracting light
The phenomenon of twinkling occurs because starlight must pass through the various moving, turbulent layers of Earth's atmosphere before reaching our eyes. As light travels through this shifting air, wind, and varying temperatures, it is bent or refracted, causing the perceived image of the star to wiggle or jump. This is an optical effect created by the atmosphere rather than any physical change occurring within the star itself, which is why stars appear steady to observers standing on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere.
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