Month: July 2025

TELLURIC LINES
Spectral absorption features caused by Earth’s atmosphere.

FLUORESCENCE IN SPACE
The emission of light by atoms absorbing high-energy photons.

SPECTROPOLARIMETRY
The study of polarized light in spectra to understand magnetic fields in space.

LYMAN SERIES
Ultraviolet spectral lines of hydrogen.

BALMER SERIES
A set of hydrogen spectral lines visible in optical light.

SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION
Categorizing stars based on their spectral lines and temperature.

REDSHIFTED SPECTRUM
A spectrum where lines are shifted to longer wavelengths due to cosmic expansion.

SPECTROGRAPH
An instrument that disperses light into its component wavelengths.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION ANALYSIS
Determining the elements in a star or galaxy using its spectrum.

RADIAL VELOCITY METHOD
A planet detection method using Doppler shifts in a star’s spectrum.