This is the 8816th most frequent Portuguese word.
apareciam
"Apareciam" means "they appeared" or "they used to appear."
In this sentence, 'apareciam' is used in the imperfect tense to describe a recurring or habitual action in the past — the appearing of stars at night.
As estrelas apareciam no céu à noite.
The stars appeared in the sky at night.
Here, 'apareciam' reflects an action done repeatedly in the past — the repeated appearances on television.
Eles apareciam na televisão toda semana.
They appeared on television every week.
In this case, 'apareciam' conveys past occurrences that happened repeatedly or continuously over some time — the appearance of objects in the forest.