Did You Know: Space – Why do stars twinkle?
On a clear, dark night, you can see hundreds of stars shining in the sky. But stars don’t actually twinkle, they only appear to do so because we are viewing them through the thick layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Star patterns
Collections of stars in the night sky make shapes and patterns. These are called constellations. This constellation is called Orion, the hunter. Orion is easy to spot because of the three stars in the middle that make up his belt.
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Stars are so far away from the Earth that they appear as tiny points of light in the sky.
The light from the stars gets distorted as it travels through the Earth’s atmosphere.
This means that it doesn’t travel in a straight line. The changing direction of the light makes the stars appear to twinkle
What else can you see in the night sky?
Planet spotting
At different times of the year, you can see planets in the night sky. This image shows Venus and Mars.
The moon is the brightest object you can see in the night sky. If you look closely, you can see the dark plains on its surface.