Donna Rechtins age 12, of Tucson, Ariz., for her question:

Do stars have six points?

Seen from the earth, a bright star seems to twinkle. It looks like a shining dot with brilliant points darting out from the center. But remember, we see a star through hundreds of miles of air, for the earth’s atmosphere reaches far, far above our heads. Dust, vapor and the molecules of gas in the atmosphere play tricks with the starlight: especially when it has traveled towards us from a long distance.

The atmosphere distorts the starlight and makes a star seem to twinkle. Since no artist can paint a twinkle, it became the custom to draw a star with points, usually six points, around the edge. Actually a star is a round ball of blazing gases, pouring forth light in all directions.