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Explain why planets do not twinkle? 5 marks |
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Answer» Unlike stars,\xa0planets\xa0don\'t\xa0twinkle. Stars are so distant that they appear as pinpoints of light in the night sky, even when viewed through a telescope. Because all the light is coming from a single point, its path is highly susceptible to atmospheric interference (i.e. their light is easily diffracted). Planets are not a source of light. Instead, they reflect low intensity light reaching them.They are also closer to the Earth than the distant stars. Hence, the shift due to atmospheric refraction is smaller. As the planets are closer, planets appear larger in comparison to the stars. Hence, the shift is not enough for the planets to twinkle... hope it would be helpful✌? Because they are so large that the refraction of there rays cancle out each other and we see a beam of light Planets do not twinkle because:1. Planets are not a source of light. Instead, they reflect low intensity light reaching them.\xa02. They are also closer to the Earth than the distant\xa0stars. Hence, the shift due to atmospheric refraction is smaller.3. As the planets are closer, planets appear larger in comparison to the stars. Hence, the shift is not enough for the planets to twinkle.\xa0Twinkling occurs because the apparent position of a heavenly body is not fixed because the light through them is refracted through the atmosphere. Planets appear larger to human eyes as compared to stars because they are closer. As the angle subtended by the planets at the human eye is more, the shift in their position(as compared to stars) is smaller. Since, the shift is smaller, they do not twinkle. |
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