Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site ucbvax.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ucbvax!jwl
From: jwl@ucbvax.ARPA (James Wilbur Lewis)
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: Re: StarDate: June 11 Where the Stars Don't Twinkle
Message-ID: <8487@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 25-Jun-85 18:21:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8487
Posted: Tue Jun 25 18:21:46 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Jun-85 07:38:42 EDT
References: <224@utastro.UUCP> <71@denelvx.UUCP>
Reply-To: jwl@ucbvax.UUCP (James Wilbur Lewis)
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 8

Stars twinkle because they are, for all practical purposes, point sources.
Planets, since they are much closer to Earth, have visible disks. Since
the light you see from a planet comes from a larger area, it is less affected
by the atmospheric turbulence that makes the stars twinkle.

-- Jim Lewis
   U.C. Berkeley
   ...!ucbvax!jwl