Have you noticed how quiet and serene the starry sky seems? And one has only to stop for a minute and look into it, as a kind of blissful numbness sets in.
It seems that the universe itself introduces you into this inexplicable trance, trying to say something important, to remind you that you are one with it. And the stars twinkle slowly and affectionately, as if understanding, in a kindred way, they wink. Invite you on a journey through the universe.
What causes starlight to twinkle?
Stars are gigantic celestial bodies. From the Earth they are at a distance of many light years. That's why we see them as little dots. They consist of gas, have the form of balls with jagged edges.
A thermonuclear reaction takes place inside the star, which heats up gas composition celestial body so it glows. The radiation is so strong that the rays overcome enormous cosmic distances, and we can see it.
In fact, the light of a star is relatively even and constant. The illusion of twinkling is present only here on Earth. Rays of light pass through the atmosphere, it creates a kind of barrier between us and space.
The atmosphere itself is heterogeneous, its layers are of different temperatures, and, accordingly, of different densities. They refract light differently. We see it as twinkling stars. It's just a beautiful optical effect.
If, for example, one looks at the stars with spaceship, from the Moon or another planet where there is no atmosphere, their glow will be even and continuous. All serious scientific observatories try to install as high as possible in the mountains. There, the atmospheric layers are less dense and blinking distracts less from observations.
Why do they glow in different colors?
Those who love to watch the night sky have noticed more than once that it not only flickers, but also creates a kind of “color music”. From Earth we see the blinking different colors: blue, red, white, yellowish. Sometimes it happens that the same star is nearby standing people can "wink" in various shades.
This beauty is achieved by the coincidence of several factors.
The dependence of the color of a star on its temperature and age
First, the stars themselves have different color. It depends on intensity, temperature thermonuclear reaction. The higher the degree, the closer the color of the celestial body to white or blue.
The coldest stars are red. You can observe this color changing action if you heat the metal. Depending on the degree of incandescence, it will change color from red to white at the point of its highest temperature.
By the temperature and color of these celestial bodies, astronomers have learned to determine their age. The age of the star is over. It begins with an explosion (during this period, the star has the most high temperature) and a white or blue glow.
With a gradual decrease in the intensity of reactions, the color changes and shines first with yellowish, and then with red hues at the end of its cycle. The color of the main source of earthly life, our star - the Sun, is now light yellow. That is, she is a "lady" of middle age, in the prime of her life.
"Crooked lens" of the atmosphere
Secondly, our atmosphere is not only heterogeneous in density, but also mobile. In it there are constant movements, displacements of layers and various turbulences of air masses. Therefore, it suits us not only interruptions-blinking of light rays.
Its moving composition also scatters, decomposes the glow into spectra and refracts them. This is similar to the work of a curved lens, and the angle of curvature in it is constantly changing. It turns out that we are looking at the multi-colored stars in the sky through a large, constantly moving "lens".
Why don't planets twinkle?
But not all heavenly bodies mysteriously flicker to us from space, some give a uniform, constant glow. These are planets. The stars are blinking, but the planets are not.
They are also easy to distinguish by their shape. We see the planets not as a point, but as luminous disks, they have clear, even edges. It is believed that the planets are extinct stars and their composition is not gaseous, but dense, therefore their contours are not blurred, like those of stars.
Where does the light come from then? The planets themselves do not glow, they only reflect the rays of a nearby star. In our system, this is the Sun. In addition, they are located much closer to the surface of the Earth. For these two reasons, the atmospheric "lens" "shows" them to us larger and without flicker.
What planets can be seen from Earth without a telescope?
The most noticeable planets that can be seen without special devices- Venus and Jupiter. Venus is the brightest, very clearly visible at dawn and in the evening, Jupiter is a little paler. Both are yellow.
From time to time, Mars can also be found in the sky - a small, glowing red disk. The rest of the extinguished stars solar system can only be seen with powerful technology.
But to admire the distant, but burning stars, just cloudless weather is enough. Their flickering is especially beautiful and noticeable in frosty nights or after rain.
Video: what are the causes of stellar twinkling?
Why do the stars twinkle in the sky?
Have you ever noticed how the straight lines on the bottom of a tiled pool seem to sway from side to side? This phenomenon occurs because the water in the pool refracts the rays of light reflected from the bottom of the pool. Likewise, stars twinkle due to turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. must pass through several kilometers of the earth's atmosphere before reaching the observer's eye. Here the Earth's atmosphere acts like water in a pool.
A lot depends on air.
Why do stars twinkle? Yes, because a lot depends on the temperature of the air. It usually decreases by 6.5°C with every kilometer we go up. That is why it is cold in the mountains. The Earth's atmosphere consists of several "layers". Each layer has different temperature and density. Warm air refracts light rays less, while cool air distorts more because in warm air, air molecules are farther apart, producing less light scattering.
Our atmosphere is saturated with very turbulent currents and whirlwinds of air. These circumstances, together with temperature changes in the atmosphere, act as lenses and prisms that sway the incoming light from the star from side to side, several times a second. This causes a change in brightness and location.
The higher the position for stargazing, the better.
Because of this effect, observatories for studying stars are located on mountain peaks. The reason for this is that the higher you go, the thinner the layers of air and the less causing the shimmer effect. Scientists are conducting experiments to compensate for the flickering effect by adapting the optics of telescopes. As a result, astronomers will soon be able to see a much clearer image of the stars here on earth.
Have you noticed that Stars closer to the horizon twinkle more this is because the atmosphere between you and the stars above the horizon is richer than between you and a star directly overhead.
The telescope was launched space, because there is no atmosphere, which allowed scientists to see clear images Universe.
Planets don't twinkle like stars. This is because planets shine by reflected light and are closer than stars, causing less refraction. Actually, this good way find out if the object you see in the sky is a planet or a star. For a planet, light that bounces off a cluster of dots on the planet's disk and flickers and changes colors. However, the twinkling of one part of the planet is complemented by another shimmering part of the planet. Thus, the planet seems to glow constantly, while the stars around it twinkle in the sky.
The night starry sky always evokes special feelings, often all earthly affairs become unimportant, and a person begins to feel like a small particle vast universe, part of something bigger than just the 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 moving at different speeds, while real currents and flows are formed, different in temperature properties, density and other parameters. Therefore, starlight passing through the atmosphere can be refracted by the most different ways. So there is a semblance of this mysterious flicker.
twinkling star
A twinkling star in the sky is like a twinkle big city if you look at it 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 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 orange color, 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.
Quite often, the stars in the sky twinkle noticeably - they flash, tremble, quickly change their brightness. Although twinkling stars interfere with quality astronomical observations, thanks to this phenomenon, the night sky seems 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, the stars often also shimmer in different colors, like precious stones in the world. This applies primarily to stars that are not high above the horizon. So, brightest star of the night sky, Sirius, flickers and shimmers with different colors almost always, attracting increased attention.
Even the most beautiful pictures the night sky cannot convey 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 the earth's atmosphere . air shell our planet is restless: air masses are in in constant motion- rise and fall, move in different sides. 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 density. How more difference in density, the more noticeably the light is refracted. Classic examples- 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 different lengths waves are bent differently. 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 dense layers atmosphere, the astronauts observe the even and calm light of the stars.
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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 useful for 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) into various 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). He comes to us in the form of a wave on different frequencies(each frequency is a specific color). As the beam bends under high angle, then 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 what closer to the stars to the horizon, the more flicker. 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. That's why space telescope Hubble 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.
