Judith Shaw, age 12, of Opportunity

Why do some stars twinkle and others shine steadily?

The light of the faraway stars comes to us across trillions and t~rilliona of miles: of empty space. The vast distance reduces their light to slender rays. The earths s atmosphere? plays tricks with these fine fingers of light. Each star seems to shine forth in darting rays. Its light twinkles.

Among the stars are certain heavenly bodies that shine on us with a steady light. These are our neighborss, the planets. They shine only writh light reflected from the sun. But this light comes across short distances, It arrives in wide beams. The dancing air can play no tricks on this light because it has traveled only a short distance. The light from the planets shines clear and steady.

Sg you see, the stars that twinkle are really stars. The stars that shine steadily are not really stars at all. They are our planet. neighbors, the nearby members of our own Solar System.