The Weather Page

The Baltimore Sun

Don Wierda lives in Rock Hall, on the Eastern Shore, where they like to watch lights on the Western Shore. Usually they're steady, Don says, "but sometimes they twinkle ... slowly, or much more rapidly. What causes this?" Could be trees blowing in front of the lights. More likely it's refraction. The water creates layered air temperatures above it, and cool layers bend light differently than warm layers. Wind stirs the layers, which scrambles the light, creating the twinkle. More temperature contrast + more wind = more twinkle.

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