The Nature of Light and Matter: Fundamentals of Spectral Analysis

  • Reinhold Häfner
  • Gero Rupprecht
Chapter

Abstract

Our knowledge of celestial bodies results largely from the analysis of the radiation which they emit, absorb, or reflect. Apart from particle emission, there are electromagnetic waves that obey the well-known relation c = λν, where c = 2.99792458 × 108 ms−1 is the speed of light in vacuum, λ the wavelength, and ν the frequency. The electromagnetic spectrumspans the range fromthe ultrashort-wavelength γ rays through ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared ranges to the radio waves. The bulk of this spectrum is not observable from the surface of the Earth, because the atmosphere is transparent only within certain wavelength windows. This chapter is concerned with the radiation reaching the observer through the classical optical window between λ = 300 nm to around λ = 1000 nm. (The much wider radio window is discussed in Chap. 9.) With the aid of suitable instruments, this radiation can be decomposed into its spectral constituents, and the spectrum analyzed. The following sections provide a survey of the theory of spectra and the objects, instruments, and several methods of analysis which are accessible to amateur astronomers.

Keywords

Radial Velocity Equivalent Width Standard Star Angular Dispersion Balmer Line 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  • Reinhold Häfner
    • 1
  • Gero Rupprecht
    • 2
  1. 1.Universitäts-Sternwarte MünchenMünchenGermany
  2. 2.European Southern Observatory ESOGarchingGermany

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