the act of scintillating; sparkling.

a spark or flash.

Astronomy . the twinkling or tremulous effect of the light of the stars.

Meteorology . any small-scale twinkling or shimmering of objects that are viewed through the atmosphere, caused by an interception of the observer's line of view by inhomogeneities in the atmospheric refractive index.

Physics .

a flash of light from the ionization of a phosphor struck by an energetic photon or particle.

random fluctuation of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave.

(on a radar display) a slight, rapid shifting of a spot of light or the image of an object about its mean position.

noun

flash , glint , glisten , glister , shimmer , sparkle