Explain why the Planets do not twinkle but the Stars twinkle.

Have you ever noticed that stars in the night sky twinkle while planets do not? This phenomenon occurs due to differences in their brightness and atmospheric effects.

Stars: Stars twinkle because they are distant points of light. When starlight enters Earth’s atmosphere, it encounters temperature and density variations in the air. This causes the light to refract or bend multiple times, creating the twinkling effect. Stars emit relatively small amounts of light, making their intensity susceptible to atmospheric disturbances.

Planets: Planets, on the other hand, don’t twinkle noticeably. They appear as small disks rather than points of light due to their proximity. The larger apparent size means their light is less affected by atmospheric turbulence, resulting in a steadier appearance.

In summary, stars twinkle because they are distant point sources of light, while planets appear stable because they have a more extended, disk-like appearance when viewed from Earth.