Physics A-Level
Stellar composition and absorption spectra
What Stellar composition and absorption spectra means in Physics A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definition of Stellar composition and absorption spectra
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Reference: OCR
Absorption lines form when cooler gas in the star's atmosphere absorbs specific wavelengths from the continuous spectrum beneath, so comparing line patterns reveals composition.
Topics that use Stellar composition and absorption spectra
- Electromagnetic radiation from stars (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Black-body modelling of stars
- Continuous spectrum
- Discrete energy levels
- Emission line spectrum
- Energy levels
- Estimation of stellar surface temperature
- Grating spacing
- Line spectra
Using Stellar composition and absorption spectra in the exam
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