WBCS.LIVE practice question

Which phenomenon is responsible for the twinkling of stars when viewed from the Earth's surface?

Solve this multiple-choice question and check the correct answer with its explanation below.

Answer options

  1. Total Internal Reflection
  2. Atmospheric Refraction
  3. Diffuse Reflection
  4. Rayleigh Scattering

Correct answer and explanation

Correct answer: Atmospheric Refraction

Explanation: āœ… Correct Answer: B) Atmospheric Refraction šŸ“š Explanation: As starlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, it undergoes continuous refraction due to varying air densities and temperatures in different layers. This cause the apparent position of the star to fluctuate slightly and its brightness to change rapidly. To a human observer on the ground, this visual instability creates the effect we call twinkling.