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Rapid variations, often in the form of pulsations, of the light from stars or terrestrial light sources.
The apparent brilliance, colour and position of the stars or lights undergo variations, owing to fluctuations of the refractive index in the positions of the atmosphere through which the rays of light pass; the phenomenon is thus analogous to shimmer. Other factors being equal, scintillation of stars is consequently more pronounced near the horizon than at the zenith; for the same reason the scintillation of lights from terrestrial sources is more pronounced over plains than on mountain summits.