THE TWINKLI

Most of the objects we see in the night sky are stars, which are light emitting objects and therefore are sources of energy. Stars twinkle because they are pinpoints of light in the night sky and convection currents in our atmosphere affect their light. Planets do not twinkle because light from the sun reflects from their surfaces and is much less affected by convection currents in our atmosphere. There are a small number of objects in the night sky that are seen by reflected light, the most visible is the moon. Planets and satellites are seen because they reflect light from our sun.

Vocabulary:

Emit: to send or give out energy and light.

Reflect: to bounce off or change direction.

Questions.

1. What does it mean to send or to give out energy and light?

2. What does it mean to bounce off or to change direction?

3. What happens to light that is emitted from stars when convection currents are part of the atmosphere?

4. In space, what objects reflect light?

5. Tell two new pieces of info that you learned from the links provides concerning this topic. Insert these into your defense log.