Is it true that stars twinkle?

see full answer

Your Exam Success, Personally Taken Care Of

1:1 expert mentors customize learning to your strength and weaknesses – so you score higher in school , IIT JEE and NEET entrance exams.

An Intiative by Sri Chaitanya

True

False

answer is A.

(Unlock A.I Detailed Solution for FREE)

Best Courses for You

JEE

NEET

Foundation JEE

Foundation NEET

CBSE

Detailed Solution

The above statement is true.
The twinkling of a star is due to the atmospheric refraction of starlight. The starlight, entering the earth's atmosphere, undergoes refraction continuously before reaching the earth. The refraction in the atmosphere occurs in a medium of gradually changing refractive index. Since the atmosphere bends the starlight towards the normal, the star's apparent position is slightly different from its actual position. Therefore, the star appears slightly higher (above) than its actual position when viewed near the horizon. As the path of rays of light coming from the star varies slightly, the star's apparent position fluctuates, and the amount of starlight entering the eye flickers– the star sometimes appears brighter, and at some other time, fainter, which is the sparkling effect.

Watch 3-min video & get full concept clarity