‘The stars seem to be higher on the sky than they actually are’. This can be explained by :

The phenomenon where stars appear higher in the sky than their actual position is caused by atmospheric refraction. As starlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, it passes through layers of air with varying densities and refractive indices [c1][t2]. Since the refractive index of air increases as it gets closer to the Earth's surface, the light bends progressively toward the normal [t5][t8]. This continuous bending causes the light to follow a curved path. To an observer on the ground, the star's position is perceived along the tangent to this curved path, making the star appear at a higher altitude than its true geometric position [c1][t5]. This effect is most pronounced when celestial objects are near the horizon, where the light must travel through a thicker portion of the atmosphere [c2][t1]. Other phenomena like dispersion or diffraction do not cause this specific vertical shift in apparent altitude [t1][t9].

Sources

1. [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World > Twinkling of stars > p. 168
2. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_refraction
3. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 19: The Motions of The Earth and Their Effects > Days Are Always Longer Than Nights at The Equator > p. 255
4. [4] https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/system/files/file_attachments/OBsTech3_AtmosPhase_2025.pdf