Why do stars twinkle?
Stars are giant suns, super super far away.
Pip’s answer
- Stars are giant suns, super super far away.
- Their light wiggles, wiggle-wiggle, as it passes through moving air.
- That wiggly light makes them look like they are twinkling, buddy!
Try it together
Can you wiggle your fingers like twinkly stars?
For grown-ups
Stars are so far away that their light reaches us as a tiny point. On its way through our atmosphere that light passes through moving pockets of warmer and cooler air, which bend it slightly differently from moment to moment. This makes the star seem to flicker. Planets usually twinkle less because they appear as tiny discs, not points.
Ask your child: Can you find a star that twinkles and one that shines steadily?
More questions kids ask
- ☀️Why is the sun so hot?
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
- 🚀How do rockets go to space?
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- 🌕Why doesn’t the moon fall down?
- 🌖Why can we see the moon in the daytime?
Got your own why?
Hold Pip, ask anything out loud, and watch the answer come to life.
Ask Pip your own question