Why do stars appear to twinkle when viewed from Earth’s surface?
AStars physically flicker on and off
BHuman eyes cannot properly focus on distant light
CStarlight bends as it passes through Earth's constantly moving atmosphere
DStars are actually much closer than they appear
Explanation
Stars appear to twinkle because their light must pass through Earth’s atmosphere, which contains constantly moving pockets of air at different temperatures and densities that bend, or refract, the light slightly and unpredictably as it travels. This causes the apparent brightness and position of a star’s light to fluctuate rapidly when observed from the ground. Planets tend to twinkle less noticeably than stars because they appear as small discs rather than single points of light, averaging out some of this atmospheric distortion. Explore more Everyday Science MCQs on mcqstutor to keep practicing.
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