scintillation

1. (astronomy) The twinkling of a star or other celestial body caused by turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere.Examples: "Do the stars scintillate at all altitudes? Is there any altitude at which it ceases to manifest itself? At Morges the stars in general scintillate at all altitudes, although feebly near the zenith; but on the nights when the scintillation is very faint, it ceases completely at a zenith distance of 45°."; "It is generally believed that the planets do not scintillate at all, or scarcely at all. Nevertheless I have often observed a sensible scintillation of Venus and Mars, and in a few rare cases I have also observed a slight scintillation of Jupiter and Saturn. […] I would therefore call the attention of observers who may find themselves under atmospherical conditions of a nature to render the general scintillation very strong, to this point, as they might perhaps be able to ascertain whether Jupiter and Saturn ever sensibly scintillate."countableuncountable

2. (nuclear physics) The flash of light produced by something (especially a phosphor) when it absorbs ionizing radiation.countableuncountable

3. (figurative) A brief expression that is amusing or clever; witticism.Examples: "[…]here and there were Latin inscriptions—obscene scintillations of wit[…]"countablefigurativelyuncountable