You are here
Explain why the planets do not twinkle.
Answer
Stars are very far away from us and appear point sized to us
- So, it appears that light is coming from one point source
- Due to refraction of light from this point source, stars appear to twinkle
The planets are much closer to us as compared to the stars.
- Since the planets are closer to us, they appear much bigger and the light to come from more than one point.
- The light coming from several points undergoes refraction also.
- But this refracted light from several points cancels the twinkling effect .
Hence, planets do not twinkle, due to their relatively large size and close distance from Earth.
