Technique · Spectroscopy & Classification
Spectroscopy
Spreading light into its spectrum to read the fingerprints of the elements. Spectral lines reveal what an object is made of, how hot it is, how it moves (through the Doppler shift), and the strength of its magnetic fields — the single most powerful tool in astronomy.
Spectroscopy & ClassificationMeasures: Composition, temperature, and motion
Highlights
- ›The most powerful single tool in astronomy
Knowledge connections
- Member of groupSpectroscopy & Classification
- Associated withClassification
- Associated withBiosignature Science
- Associated withAtmospheric Biosignature
- Associated withBiosignature False Positive
- Associated withSimple Spectral Access
- Associated withEchelle Spectrograph
- Associated withIntegral-Field Spectrograph
- Associated withMKID
- Associated withCarbon Dioxide
- Associated withThe History of Spectroscopy
- Associated withWien Peak Wavelength
- Associated withTransmission Spectroscopy
- Associated withEmission Spectroscopy
- Associated withHigh-Resolution Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy
- Associated withNarrowband Imaging
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.