Capturing starburst in photography is due to light diffraction. Diffraction is the slight bending of (light) waves around small obstacles and the spreading out of (light) waves pasing through or hitting a small opening. As light passes into your camera through a small opening, i.e. a small aperture at a low focal length, it bends around the edges of the blades and creates the “star” look. The number of rays from each starburst is related to the number of aperture blades in your lens.
The following two images were taken at different apertures. The first one is at f5.6. Nice but slightly wooly. The second one f 16, much more defined and crisp keeping the tails of the light in a nice ordered pattern.
It is another one of those like Marmite you either love it or you hate it.
But what every you do have fun trying it.
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