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Re: Sirius

It is most likely due to the lowness of Sirius in the sky combined with
large differences in temperature between thermal cells in traversing the
sky. Venus will also cause such a chromatic stir as will Rigel and the
other bright stars. It is particularly beautiful when viewed through a
telescope.

Tom McCarthy
Saint Edward's School
1895 St. Edward's Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963
561-231-4136
Physics and Astronomy

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From: Mark Sylvester <msylvest@spin.it>
To: phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu
Subject: Sirius
Date: Saturday, November 01, 1997 7:24 PM

Some excited students called me after midnight wanting to know what the
bright object in the sky was that was flashing different colours. I went
out
to have a look, and concluded that the object is Sirius, but there
certainly
is something odd about it: it's twinkling very strongly and with the
twinkling come very distinct coloured flashes. All sorts of colours, just
for an instant. The effect is stronger through binoculars. The other
brighter stars are higher up from the horizon, in Orion, and they look
normal. I've tried looking for the same effect in other stars round the
same
elevation as Sirius (assuming it is atmospheric) but there's nothing
bright
that is not beind a cloud or lost in the sodium haze of Trieste. Is this
effect known to anyone? Ice crystals in the sky or something?

Mark.

*************************************************************
Mark Sylvester
United World College of the Adriatic, Duino, Trieste, Italy.
msylvest@spin.it
tel: +39 40 3739 255
*************************************************************