Spectrum 1 | Spectrum 2 | Spectrum 3

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The animation shows hydrogen absorption spectra. Light shining on an atom is absorbed when the wavelength of light corresponds to an energy difference between two orbitals. Light is absorbed by an electron that uses the energy to make a transition from a lower energy orbital to higher one. The excited states of hydrogen (electrons in n > 1) are short-lived states (lifetimes around 10⁻⁹ s).  So hydrogen (at least at reasonable temperatures) is not generally in excited states.  Therefore, which of the three spectra above is the absorption spectrum for hydrogen atoms (i.e., which is the absorption spectrum from the n = 1 state of the hydrogen atom)?  Restart.  The units of wavelength on the graphs are nm.