Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site kontron.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!ihnp4!pesnta!pertec!kontron!cramer From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Re: StarDate: June 11 Where the Stars Don't Twinkle Message-ID: <326@kontron.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Jul-85 19:44:09 EDT Article-I.D.: kontron.326 Posted: Wed Jul 3 19:44:09 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 07:31:22 EDT References: <224@utastro.UUCP> <71@denelvx.UUCP> <8487@ucbvax.ARPA> Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA Lines: 13 > 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 A real trivial minor point: Mercury, I've noticed, tends to twinkle, partly because the only times you see is at dusk, when heat disturbances are quite pronounced, and also because it has the smallest visible disk of the visible planets.