Question #bdd93

1 Answer
Sep 11, 2017

The "twinkling" effect is caused by the passage of light through the earth's atmosphere.

Explanation:

The light from cosmic bodies, reflected or original, does not "twinkle", but remains constant. It is the effect of the observed light passing through the atmosphere that creates a twinkling effect on the ground.

This is another reason that space-based telescopes like the Hubble and James Webb are so valuable for accurate observations of cosmic phenomena. There is no atmospheric interference in space to affect the light reception.