Emission and Absorption Lines Feature Summary

Type:
From Physics Research
Title:
Solar Spectrum
Description:
The continuous spectrum with dark absorption lines, which is shown twice above, is sunlight, and the emission lines, in the other spectra, are from the elements indicated--magnesium, hydrogen, and sodium.  For the difference between absorption lines and emission lines, see the diagram in Continuous, Emission and Absorption Spectra and also in Solar Spectrum.

Can you match any of these emission lines to absorption lines in the solar spectrum? For a simulation of the spectra of many common elements, see Spectra of Gas Discharges.  

(This feature was updated on July 27, 2011.)
Image:
image credits: Lawrence S. Anderson-Huang, The University of Toledo; <a href="http://astro.u-strasbg.fr/~koppen/discharge/" target="_blank">image source</a>
image credits: Lawrence S. Anderson-Huang, The University of Toledo; image source
Image URL:
http://www.physics.utoledo.edu/~lsa/_p1750/SPlab.jpg
Featured:
January 16, 2008 - February 1, 2008