Spectroscopy

Synonyms

Spectral analysis

Definition

Spectroscopy is the technique used to measure the intensity of electromagnetic radiation as a function of either wavelength or frequency. Spectroscopy is an important tool to derive the physical and chemical properties of astronomical objects as well as their velocity. The study of spectral features from atoms, ions, and molecules is of particular importance to give access to abundances, temperature, pressure, magnetic field, radial velocity, etc. The term spectroscopy is also applied in other fields, for example, to the measurement of the abundances by mass of chemical species in a sample (see Mass Spectroscopy).

Overview

Light brings a wealth of information, which a blind person misses badly every day. Generally, we think of this information primarily in the form of images of the world around us that light carries to our retina or to the electronic retinas of our cameras. In astronomy, imaging is often the first phase of discovery to derive...