# Why Do Stars Twinkle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 30, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062 "2007-03-30T00:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/1 "2007-03-30T00:52:40Z")
[This](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_338a.html) classic column gives me an excuse to reference one of my [favorite songs](http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/twinkle-32.mp3). This is probably the best rhyming description of a natural phenomena ever created. The [other songs](http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/) on the album are also worth a listen. _Ballad Of Sir Isaac Newton_ is classic. _Why Does The Sun Shine_ was re-done by _They Might Be Giants_. ---
**Author:** ![BuckyE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@BuckyE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckyE)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/2 "2007-04-03T05:07:46Z")
It’s probably a very minor point, but to say “Air will refract (bend) light a varying amount depending on its temperature” may not be the most informative way to explain refraction. Light is refracted when it passes from one medium to another of a different density. Like from air to glass, say. That’s how magnifying glasses work: their _surfaces_ bend light to focus or spread it. Drops of water in the air bend light as it _passes from_ air to water, and so we see a rainbow. The classic illustration of refraction is the “bent” straw in a glass of water. If light passes from warm air (less dense) to cold air (more dense), or vice versa, it’s refracted. Warm air alone won’t cause refraction, nor will cold air. Neither of them bend the light, but both of them next to each other will. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/3 "2007-04-03T15:26:27Z")
[QUOTE=Ex\_Chemist] [This](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_338a.html) classic column gives me an excuse to reference one of my [favorite songs](http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/twinkle-32.mp3). This is probably the best rhyming description of a natural phenomena ever created. The [other songs](http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/) on the album are also worth a listen. _Ballad Of Sir Isaac Newton_ is classic. _Why Does The Sun Shine_ was re-done by _They Might Be Giants_. [/QUOTE] The link to “favorite songs” is not working. ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/4 "2007-04-03T15:35:19Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] The link to “favorite songs” is not working. [/QUOTE] Odd, it was working a few days ago when I created the post. It’s much too late to edit my post. So, you’ll need to use the [other songs](http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/) link and then click on _Why Do Stars Twinkle_ about 3/4 the way down under **Space Songs** for either 32 or 160 kbps. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/5 "2007-04-03T18:00:03Z")
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq] The link to “favorite songs” is not working. [/QUOTE] Try reloading the page when you get the forbidding message. It works for me in Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-stars-twinkle/398062/6 "2007-04-04T02:13:21Z")
[QUOTE=gazpacho] Try reloading the page when you get the forbidding message. It works for me in Firefox. [/QUOTE] Forbidden is forbidden is forbidden … ☹