Välkkymisen

Välkkymisen is a Finnish term that translates to "flickering" or "twinkling" in English. It is often used in the context of astronomical observations, referring to the apparent change in brightness of stars as seen from Earth. This phenomenon is primarily caused by the Earth's atmosphere. As light from celestial objects travels through the atmospheric layers, it encounters variations in temperature and density. These variations cause the light rays to refract, or bend, in constantly changing directions. This continuous bending and scattering of light leads to the star's light appearing to twinkle or flicker. The effect is more pronounced for stars near the horizon, as their light has to pass through a greater thickness of atmosphere. Planets, on the other hand, generally appear as steady points of light and do not twinkle as noticeably. This is because planets are closer to Earth and appear as small disks rather than single points, so the atmospheric distortions affecting different parts of the disk tend to average out. The term välkkymisen can also be used more broadly to describe any unsteady or intermittent light, such as the flickering of a faulty light bulb or a candle flame. However, its most common and specific application is in astronomy.