Stellar Guides!
Come Identify the Elements in Outer Space
How Can I Identify Elements in the Stars?
- As an electron moves to a lower energy level, it emits electromagnetic radiation at a certain wavelength.
- To tell which elements exist in a star, you look at the brightline spectrum of the star and compare the results to spectras from elements we already know
- From there identification should be simple
Helpful to Our Astronomers
- Spectroscopy is a powerful tool in astronomy. From it, we can often get information about the temperature, density, composition, and important physical processes of an astronomical object.
- Astronomers use emission lines to identify the atoms or ions that send out light from the Sun and Stars (This is similar to how a detective uses fingerprints to see who has touched a certain object)
- Once the astronomers have determined what ions are present on the sun and stars, this gives them and immediate indication of what elements are present.
MOST COMMON ELEMENTS FOUND IN OUR STARS
- Hydrogen
- Helium
- Aluminum
- Nitrogen
- Oxygen
- Magnesium
Helium
- 23 visible emission lines in wavelength range
Hydrogen
- 5 visible emission lines in wavelength range
Nitrogen
- 84 visible emission lines in wavelength range
Magnesium
- 54 visible emission lines in wavelength range
Oxygen
- 73 visible emission lines in wavelength range
Aluminum
- 38 visible emission lines in wavelength range