What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?

i have seen at least 2 of these and another similar phenomena where a star flashes brilliantly for several seconds then twinkles more normally for several seconds, then back. When i tried to find out about this, i found mention of oscillating stars, but the cycles are much longer, like weeks. i read about double stars which seems to be likely, but the changes are caused by the two stars rotating around each other, making one in front of the other at different times. But no stars rotate around each other in seconds. So has anyone heard of this phenomena? tell me what its called so i can go read about it. Thanks for all your thoughtful answers.What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?Your observation is keen. Stars, as observed, do often flash blue and red. However, any pin-point of white light originating from space and observed from earth will flash.



The flashing is caused by earth's oscillating atmosphere. Consider that earth's atmosphere has waves much like the ocean's waves. As the white light enters the wavy atmosphere, it is both diffracted and refracted. The effects are not as extreme as that which you may observe from under water, so larger objects like the planets or the sun don't appear to be twinkling. However, given the distances of the stars, their observed magnitude is pinpoint.



The atmosphere acts like a wobbling prism to change the star's appearance. One will observe the blue light, the atmosphere is jiggling, and suddenly the refraction pattern delivered to the same point of observation is the red side of the spectrum.What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?
its just the atmosphere playing tricks on you. the moving atmosphere or earth makes all stars twinkle, and possible make a star appear red-ish or blue-ish.What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?No star behaves in this fashion. What you are seeing are rapid fluctuations caused by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, what astronomrs call "bad seeing."What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?
There are no stars that change color except on a time scale of millions of years and binary star systems are almost all so far away that they look like one star to the human eye.



You are probably seeing twinkling due to refraction of the star light in earth's atmosphere. THAT phenomenon is common.What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?When I was younger, my eyes were sharper. I could see artificial satellites spinning. That would be something about the size of a small truck trailer at a distance of more than a hundred miles.

I did not exactly see them spin, but the light varied in an exactly repeating period, and the rotational direction appeared to be uniform. Geosynchronous orbit used to be closer as well, because the transmitters were wimpy.

My point is, though you don't have to believe that I could see these objects spinning, there is no doubt they change colors and flicker. Make sure you are looking at stars and not man-made space items.What kind of star flashes brilliantly between 2 colors, like red and blue?
Stars are the ones that twinkle. Planets have no light of their own,the light from the stars ( suns ) reflect off them.

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