Question

Light from two closely spaced stars will not produce a steady interference pattern at the Earth's surface because of:

a. their non-point like natures
b. incoherence
c. the inherent instability of the atmosphere
d. their different radial distances
e. closely spaced stars do produce interference patterns

Answer 1

The interference pattern from two closely spaced stars is not observed due to incoherent light and atmospheric instability which disrupts and blurs the arriving light.

Step-by-step explanation:

Light from two closely spaced stars will not produce a steady interference pattern at the Earth's surface due to the incoherence of the light they emit and the instability of the Earth's atmosphere. Interference patterns require coherent light sources (where the wave fronts are consistent in phase and frequency), which is not typically the case with light from separate stars. Moreover, atmospheric instability caused by factors such as air currents and temperature variations (analogous to the confetti in the wind example) significantly blurs the light from the stars, resulting in the twinkling effect rather than a steady interference pattern.