Why do stars twinkle but planets don't?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Stars are point sources of light
Planets reflect more light — Wrong. The amount of light reflected doesn't determine whether an object twinkles. Both bright and dim planets show steady light compared to stars.
Stars are point sources of light ✓ — Correct! Stars appear as tiny points of light because they're so far away. Earth's atmosphere moves and bends this single point of light, making it twinkle. Planets are much closer, so they appear as small disks. Light from different parts of the disk averages out atmospheric distortion, creating steady light.
Planets have atmospheres — Wrong. Planetary atmospheres don't prevent twinkling from our perspective. The steadiness comes from planets appearing as disks rather than points, which averages out atmospheric effects.
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