Transcript Why Do Stars Twinkle

Big Question
How do stars twinkle?
Explanation
When I see stars in the night sky, they flicker.
For my science project, I wanted to learn what
causes starlight to do that.
Hypothesis
If I shine a light through glass of water that is
moving, then the light will twinkle more than if
that thing was standing still.
Explanation
Learned what makes stars twinkle from
research
Could not experiment on a real star
Believed I could prove what makes stars
twinkle by causing the same effect other light

Facts
Refraction is light bending.
Light refracts when light
goes through one thing to
another.
Atmospheric scintillation is
atmosphere refracting light.
 Turbulence is fast moving
air
Twinkle = atmospheric
scintillation + turbulence

Materials You Need
 1)A clear glass almost full of water
 2)A cardboard shoe box
 3)White paper
 4)A flashlight
 5)Scissors
 6)A dark room
Steps
 1.Cut two 2-inch [5-cm] slits about 1-inch [2.5cm] apart on one end of the box.
 2.Put the white paper at the bottom of the box.
Place the glass of water at the center of the
box,on top of the white paper.
 3.In a dark room shine the flashlight through the
two slits. Look into the box from above. You
should see two straight lines going into the
glass. The lines should bend as they enter the
glass and again as they leave the glass.
Observation: does the light leaving the glass
twinkle?
Steps
 4.Using a spoon or straw, stir the water in the
glass to simulate turbulence. Observation: does
the light leaving the glass twinkle?
Control / Variables
Controls:
 We made the slits out
of the same thing
 Same flashlight
 Same box
 It was dark all the
time
 The slits were the
same size
Variables:
 Water (atmosphere)
 turbulence
Observation and Data
No Water
No Turbulence
Twinkle?
No
Turbulence
Water (Refraction)
No Turbulence
Turbulence
No
Yes
Analysis
The light only twinkled when there was both
water (atmosphere) to refract it and
turbulence. I know the experiment tested the
hypothesis because the experiment steps did
what the hypothesis asked about.
Conclusion
The hypothesis atmosphere and turbulance
together cause star light to twinkle is correct.
References
Books
Title, Author, Publisher, Publication Date
Cosmos, by Giles Sparrow, Book Sales, 2006
Experiments with Light, by Rachel Lynette, Heinemann Library, 2008
The Sun and Other Stars, by Lori Meek Schuldt, World Book,Inc., 2006
References
Websites
Title, Publisher, URL
Why Do Stars Twinkle, Starchild Question of the Month for October 2000, NASA
GSFC, http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question26.html
Why Do Stars Twinkle, Enchanted Learning,
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/twinkle.shtml