As a kid I used to patiently wait outside as it was getting dark to make sure that I would see the first star come out so I could wish on it. Yes, it might sound a little silly, but when I was little, it was a very important task! I always noticed that that first star, along with most of the other stars, had a twinkle. I always wondered why they did that. Well, let me explain why it happens! A flickering star is caused by refraction in the earth’s atmosphere.
Refraction is the bending of light when it passes from one medium to another. Kind of like when a straw appears to bend in a glass of water, that is your typical example of refraction. The straw appears to bend at the point where it enters the water because of density differences between air and water. Density differences that cause refraction exist in the atmosphere. The main source is temperature or moisture variations.
Warm, moist air is less dense than cold, dry air. As a result, warm air will not refract light the same way cold air does. In the atmosphere there is a mixture of warm and cold air as well as dense and less dense air. When starlight passes through these constant fluctuations, refraction will make these stars appear to flicker.
Weather Last Week
October 7: 36/78/0”
October 8: 32/83/0”
October 9: 35/84/0”
October 10: 32/88/0”
October 11: 42/68/0”
October 12: 36/77/0”
October 13: 29/62/0”
Forecast discussion for the week ahead:
After a mild middle of the week, cooler air will start to move in and this means early morning temperatures near the freezing mark and highs generally in the 60s. This transition can mean precipitation chances increase and that’s the case for the end of the week. Light rain and maybe even a few flurries will be possible late Friday and late Saturday!