Why do stars twinkle on a cold night? How and why the stars twinkle in the night sky

There are many interesting things in the world. The twinkling of stars is one of the most amazing phenomena. How many different beliefs are connected with this phenomenon! The unknown always scares and attracts at the same time. What is the nature of such a phenomenon?

Influence of the atmosphere

Astronomers have made an interesting discovery: the twinkling of stars has nothing to do with their changes. Then why do the stars twinkle in the night sky? It's all about the atmospheric movement of cold and hot air flows. Where warm layers pass over cold ones, air vortices form there. Under the influence of these vortices, the light rays are distorted. So the light rays are bent, changing the apparent position of the stars.

An interesting fact is that the stars do not twinkle at all. Such a vision is created on earth. The eyes of observers perceive the light coming from the star as it passes through the atmosphere. Therefore, the question of why the stars twinkle can be answered that the stars do not twinkle, and the phenomenon that we observe on earth is a distortion of the light that has traveled from the star through the atmospheric layers of air. If such air movements did not occur, then the twinkling would not be observed, even from the most distant star in space.

scientific explanation

If we reveal in more detail the question of why stars twinkle, then it is worth noting that this process is observed when light from a star passes from a denser atmospheric layer to a less dense one. In addition, as mentioned above, these layers are constantly moving relative to each other. We know from the laws of physics that warm air rises and cold air sinks. It is when light passes this layer boundary that we observe flicker.

Passing through the layers of air, different in density, the light of the stars begins to flicker, and their outlines blur and the image increases. In this case, the intensity of the radiation and, accordingly, the brightness also change. Thus, by studying and observing the processes described above, scientists have understood why stars twinkle, and their twinkling varies in intensity. In science, this change in light intensity is called scintillation.

Planets vs Stars: What's the Difference?

An interesting fact is that not every cosmic luminous object emits light from the scintillation phenomenon. Let's take planets. They also reflect sunlight, but do not flicker. It is by the nature of the radiation that a planet is distinguished from a star. Yes, the light of a star gives a twinkling, but the planets do not.

Since ancient times, mankind has learned to navigate in space by the stars. In those days when precise instruments were not invented, the sky helped to find the right path. And today this knowledge has not lost its significance. Astronomy as a science was born in the 16th century when the telescope was first invented. It was then that they began to closely observe the light of stars and study the laws by which they twinkle. Word astronomy in Greek it means "the law of the stars".

Star science

Astronomy studies the Universe and celestial bodies, their movement, location, structure and origin. Thanks to the development of science, astronomers have explained how a twinkling star in the sky differs from a planet, how the development of celestial bodies, their systems, and satellites takes place. This science has looked far beyond the boundaries of the solar system. Pulsars, quasars, nebulae, asteroids, galaxies, black holes, interstellar and interplanetary matter, comets, meteorites and everything related to outer space are studied by the science of astronomy.

The intensity and color of the twinkling starlight is also affected by the height of the atmosphere and the proximity to the horizon. It is easy to see that the stars located close to it shine brighter and shimmer in different colors. This spectacle becomes especially beautiful on frosty nights or immediately after rain. At these moments, the sky is cloudless, which contributes to a brighter shimmer. Sirius has a special radiance.

Atmosphere and starlight

If you want to observe the stellar twinkling, you should understand that with a calm atmosphere at the zenith, this is only occasionally possible. The brightness of the light flux is constantly changing. This is again due to the deflection of light rays, which are unevenly concentrated over the earth's surface. The wind also influences the starry landscape. In this case, the observer of the stellar panorama constantly finds himself alternately in a darkened or illuminated area.

When observing stars located at an altitude of more than 50 °, the change in color will not be noticeable. But the stars that are below 35 ° will twinkle and change color quite often. Very intense flickering indicates the heterogeneity of the atmosphere, which is directly related to meteorology. During the observation of stellar twinkling, it was noticed that it tends to intensify at reduced atmospheric pressure and temperature. An increase in flicker can also be seen with increasing humidity. However, it is impossible to predict the weather from scintillation. The state of the atmosphere depends on a large number of different factors, which does not allow one to draw conclusions about the weather only from stellar twinkling. Of course, some points work, but so far this phenomenon has its own ambiguities and mysteries.

> > Why do the stars twinkle

It will be interesting for children to know why do the stars twinkle different colors in the sky: how many stars can be seen in the sky, refraction of light in the Earth's atmosphere, Hubble.

Let's talk about why the stars twinkle in a language accessible to children. This information will be useful to children and their parents.

For the little ones and the curious will be interested to hear the answer, especially since the twinkling stars look incredibly beautiful in the sky. What's the matter? If you focus on a particular star, you can see that it sparkles. To explain to children process, parents or teachers at school should delve into science and remember the "stellar scintillation" (the so-called flicker). Without the use of technology, up to 6,000 stars can be distinguished.

Children must know that stars twinkle because we look at them through an atmosphere in which air is constantly moving. Light is refracted (bent) in different directions, which causes these glare.

To give complete explanation for children regarding twinkling stars, it should also be noted that the color of the glow may change. The light itself includes the entire spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). It comes to us in the form of a wave at different frequencies (each frequency is a specific color). Since the beam bends at a large angle, it changes speed when entering the atmosphere. This leads to the fact that the sparkle becomes multicolored. This can be verified by taking a prism. The light will refract and you will get a rainbow.

Then the smallest the question may arise: why do the planets not flicker? Because they are closer to us. The stars are far away, and light travels a huge distance. And the planets are closer and do not produce their own light, but reflect the sun.

Children should know: the closer the stars to the horizon, the more they twinkle. This happens because the atmosphere is thicker in these places. If we were in space, we would not notice any flicker, because the light is not distorted. This is why the Hubble Space Telescope is so important. He is already in space and can study objects without interference.

Telescopes on Earth can also see stars without sparkle. For this, complex mirrors are used that do not stop moving. They concentrate light into a coherent beam to reduce the effects of atmospheric turbulence. This is called adaptive optics, which helps you see the stars more clearly. Now you understand why the stars twinkle. Use our photos, videos, drawings and moving models online to better understand the description and characteristics of space objects.

The cosmos has always attracted man; colossal resources, both human and financial, have been spent on its exploration. Many great people throughout their lives dealt with the problems of studying our Universe, so that today we have a sufficient theoretical and practical base. Now every student can find out why the stars twinkle, is there life on Mars, due to which the planets move in space, and much more.

What is a star?

The stars represent huge celestial bodies, consisting of gas giants with powerful gravity:

They began to form immediately after the appearance of the Universe.
Due to the force of attraction, large particles captured smaller ones, gradually forming a gas ball.
Scientists believe that nebulae were the precursors of stars. A nascent star collected all the matter that was available to its gravity.
Points flickering in the sky, in fact, are the "forges of the Universe." Complex nuclear reactions take place in them every second, and hydrogen is released.
Only thanks to the light, energy and heat that the star gives, the existence of organic matter is possible. This is not necessarily about intelligent life, without light and energy, nothing living can exist, in principle.

The distance to all the stars is measured in light years only to the Sun "only" a few light-minutes.

Given the current level of development, mankind will never be able to visit even the nearest star system, unless there is a sharp jump in scientific progress. Something fundamentally new is needed.

Why do the stars glow?

If you look at the sky at night, you can see a real color music - from time to time the stars twinkle, shining either stronger or suddenly fading for a few seconds. It looks beautiful and, fortunately, such flickering is not enough for the development of an epileptic seizure.

When it comes to gas giants far from Earth, we can assume that the point is not in the stars themselves.

Somewhere in space, a huge star went out for a second, or vice versa, did it shine brighter? Yes, this would have a deplorable effect on the nearest planets, given the energy emissions.

In fact, the mystery of twinkling stars lies in the earth's atmosphere . More precisely, in its heterogeneity:

After the rain.
In hot weather.
In strong or constant wind.
On a frosty night.

The reason is that air masses are heated unevenly and are constantly shifting. As a result, the light of the stars needs to overcome not a homogeneous atmosphere, but such an “air mosaic”.

If one day space flights become public, everyone will be able to make sure that in a vacuum, celestial bodies emit a constant, even light.

Why are the stars falling?

In August, you can always find a reason to get out into nature at night, because every year astronomers remind you of the “starfall” in advance. In fact, the position of the stars does not change in space, and even more so, huge balls of gas do not fall to the surface of the Earth.

It is enough to know that even the smallest star is thousands of times larger than our planet. There is another, no less interesting phenomenon:

Small blocks, asteroids or fireballs, enter the Earth's atmosphere.
Under the influence of gravity, they rush to the surface of the planet.
Gaining speed and entering the atmosphere, the “projectile” collides with a friction force, which is absent in outer space.
This phenomenon is so strong that the bare stone, literally, begins to burn.
From the ground, the observer sees how some small point rushes across the sky and falls somewhere on the horizon.

Sometimes nothing reaches the surface at all, but sometimes small pieces of rocks land. Such a souvenir can decorate any home collection. The probability that such a pebble will fall on your head tends to zero, but not equal.

Considering the total area of the Earth and the space that one person occupies, one must firmly annoy Fortune with something in order to experience the impact " guest from outer space».

How long do stars live?

There are different opinions about the lifetime of stars and the probability of the existence of living matter on other planets:

Life in the Universe	The lifespan of stars
It is not found on any of the planets in our system.	It is well known that all stars die sooner or later.
Most likely present on one of Saturn's moons - Titan.	In the process of existence, the giant passes through several successive stages.
Despite numerous eyewitness statements about UFOs, not a single extraterrestrial civilization has made contact.	The life span of a celestial body is measured in billions of years, sometimes tens of billions.
Purely mathematically, given time and distance, the parallel existence of advanced civilizations is unlikely.	Our Sun is a relatively young star, so humanity may not be worried for a very, very, very long time.

By the time our star dies, civilization and any intelligent life may have disappeared a million times, for completely different reasons. If one of the people survives to that time, surely our descendants will be able to solve the problem of relocation to other stars.

But when all the stars in the universe go out, it will be more difficult. Theoretically, the only way out of this situation is going beyond the universe. But at the moment, we cannot even imagine such a thing.

Why do stars twinkle?

The atmosphere of our planet not only provides the possibility of the existence of life on the surface, but also scatters light:

Thanks to this, we see blue skies during the day. In the spectrum that the Sun emits, there is a blue tint, which is scattered through the atmosphere.
Due to the heterogeneity of the air masses, the stars twinkle.
The power of their glow can change several times per minute.
In fact, in outer space, the stars emit an even light.

But the nearest planets give constant light even in the conditions of our atmosphere. The reason is simple - their disk reflects sunlight and when we look at the sky on a clear day, we see exactly the disk, and not a tiny dot.

Even without a degree in astrophysics, it's not that hard to understand why stars twinkle. The world around us can be explained in simple terms, in any case, most of the phenomena. Because something is still a mystery, even to today's scientific minds.

Video: twinkling stars in the sky

In this video, physicist Leonid Agarkov will give an astronomy lesson in which he will talk about the reasons for the twinkling of stars in space:

Quite often, the stars in the sky twinkle noticeably - they flash, tremble, quickly change their brightness. Although the twinkling of stars interferes with quality astronomical observations, this phenomenon makes the night sky seem alive and close.

The twinkling of stars is especially noticeable on windy and frosty nights, and in summer a strong twinkling indicates the approach of a strong cyclone. In winter, often the stars also shimmer in different colors, like precious stones in the light. This applies primarily to stars that are not high above the horizon. So, the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, twinkles and shimmers in different colors almost always, attracting increased attention.

Even the most beautiful photographs of the night sky cannot capture the twinkling of the stars. Photo: Ruslan Merzlyakov

What is the reason for such phenomena?

Twinkling and transfusion of stars in different colors- these are not properties inherent in the stars themselves, but phenomena generated by the earth's atmosphere. The air shell of our planet is restless: air masses are in constant motion - they rise and fall, move in different directions. In addition, they have different temperatures and densities depending on the height above the Earth's surface, atmospheric currents, and many other factors. As a result, air lenses and prisms are formed in the atmosphere, refracting and deflecting the light of distant heavenly bodies passing through them.

But it's just air you may object. How can it play the role of a prism or a lens?

Light does not care what is in front of it - a solid material, air or liquid. Light inevitably refracts at the boundary of two media having different densities. The greater the difference in density, the more noticeably the light is refracted. Classic examples are a prism or a glass of water. A spoon standing in a glass seems to be broken due to the refraction of light at the border of air and water.

Since air masses in the atmosphere have different densities depending on height, currents, Hadley cells formed here and there, and other factors, they themselves are capable of playing the role of such prisms and lenses, albeit rather weak ones. When the light of a star passes through the lens, it comes to us intensified; when it is deflected, it arrives weakened. This rapid fluctuation of light is what we call flicker.

Why do stars twinkle and shimmer in different colors. Source: Natskies Observatory

Concerning transfusion of stars in different colors, then the cause is the circulation of air in the atmosphere. On the example of a conventional prism, it can be seen that light of different wavelengths is bent in different ways. The same happens with the light of a star when it passes through air prisms. But then one color comes to us, then another, then a third. If we photograph such a star trembling and twinkling in different colors with very short exposures, then in the photographs we will see literally the entire palette of colors!

Stars twinkle much more strongly near the horizon than at the zenith, as their light travels through more air. Figure: Bob King / Big Universe

We just have to explain why stars low on the horizon twinkle and shimmer in different colors much more than stars near the zenith. The explanation is surprisingly simple: before reaching our eyes, the light from low-lying stars passes through a large thickness of the atmosphere! Accordingly, it is distorted much more strongly.

Do stars in space also tremble and twinkle? Of course not! Flying in orbit around the Earth outside the dense layers of the atmosphere, astronauts observe the even and calm light of stars.

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The night starry sky always evokes special feelings, often all earthly affairs become unimportant, and a person begins to feel like a small part of the vast Universe, part of something larger than just planet Earth.

Why do the stars twinkle? Probably many people have asked themselves this question. An incredibly beautiful sight, especially after rain, when the stars shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. People do not always know how to answer such a seemingly childish question.

A simple answer to a simple question

Star twinkling is caused directly by vibrations in the air. Due to the heterogeneity of the Earth's atmosphere, air masses move at different speeds, and real currents and flows are formed, different in temperature properties, density and other parameters. Therefore, starlight passing through the atmosphere can be refracted in a variety of ways. So there is a semblance of this mysterious flicker.

twinkling star

A twinkling star in the sky is like the light of a big city when viewed from afar. And if at the same time the air is saturated with moisture, then the glow will change its trajectory and refract, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. The answer to the question of why stars twinkle turns out to be so simple. As the star begins to approach the horizon, the refraction occurs even more intensely due to the thickness of the air, thereby making the twinkling more distinct.

Can planets twinkle?

Stars differ from planets in a huge number of physical characteristics, it is not surprising that these inhabitants of space shine in different ways. Even on a beautiful night with many twinkling stars, you can clearly distinguish the light emanating from the planets of the solar system. Their light can be described as even, constant. Like the Moon or the Sun, they do not flicker. This can be seen even without an ultra-precise microscope.

Why is this happening? If we take into account the factors that the light of the stars, like the light of the planet, must be refracted in the layers of the atmosphere, we can conclude that the stars twinkle pointwise, the planet does the same, but due to the fact that it has many such points, the illusion of an even Sveta. It's all about quantity.

Such different stars

If you look at the stars with the naked eye, they all seem almost the same, different only in brightness. But this is far from the case, if you look more closely, you can distinguish the stars even by color. This applies to the largest and brightest stars. For example, the stars Arcturus and Aldebaran are orange, while Betelgeuse and Antares are red. Sirius and Vega are called white, Spica and Regulus are white with a blue tint. There are even yellow giants Capella and

Astronomers associate the color of stars with a parameter such as temperature. Relatively cold are red stars with a surface temperature of up to 4 thousand degrees, the hottest are white-blue, reaching an incredible temperature of 10-30 thousand degrees Celsius! It becomes quite clear why the stars twinkle, with such temperature data, they are capable of much.

Why do stars twinkle and do they twinkle at all? The answer to this question depends on how you look at it. If this process is identified with refraction, then it can be called flickering. But, as you know, the stars themselves do not glow, just such an impression is formed by the viewer who observes this interesting phenomenon from the Earth. If you contemplate this picture from space, then there will be no flicker. According to the astronauts, the stars shine brightly, evenly, and they wink only at those observers who have remained on Earth.