INBOX
Speak your mind
When the stars near the horizon lose their visibility, it’s called atmospheric extinction
SPARKLING STARS
Dear HIW, I live quite remotely, so always look at the stars at night. Can you tell me why some always seem to twinkle more than others?
Ashley Martinez
A star-embellished sky is one of the most beautiful sights on a clear night. Most stars shine with a steady light, so it seems strange that they glisten with so much regularity. The cause of this movement is actually air, not the star itself. As the light shines through Earth’s turbulent atmosphere, some of the light bends away from our eyeline. When you look at the light from a twinkling star, the light is reaching Earth at slightly different angles to give this illusion. Usually, stars closer to the horizon will twinkle more, as there is more atmosphere between you and it.