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4.8: Key Terms

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    Stellar Spectra Key Terms

    • absorption spectrum: The unique pattern of dark lines that form when light passes through a material and into a spectrometer.
    • atomic number: The number of protons in an atom, Z.
    • brown dwarf: An object lacking the mass needed to sustain hydrogen fusion.
    • continuous spectrum: An uninterrupted distribution of colors according to wavelength.
    • electron: A particle in an atom with a negative charge.
    • element: Atoms that have the same number of protons, or the same atomic number.
    • emission spectrum: The spectrum that includes bright lines at the wavelengths related to the transition of an electron from a higher to lower energy level.
    • energy levels: The unique energy values of possible electron orbits.
    • excitation: The transition to an excited state of an electron that has absorbed a specific amount of energy.
    • ground state: The lowest possible energy state of an electron in an atom.
    • ion: An atom that has gained or lost an electron, leaving it in a positive or negative charge instead of neutral.
    • ionization: The removal or addition of one or more electrons from an atom.
    • isotope: When an atom has a number of neutrons that is not equal to its atomic number, or number of protons.
    • mass number: The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, A.
    • neutron: A particle in an atom with a neutral charge.
    • nucleus: The center of an atom, consisting of protons and neutrons and having a positive charge.
    • opaque: When a material does not transmit light.
    • periodic table: A table of the elements organized by atomic number, electron configuration, and other properties.
    • proton: A particle in an atom with a positive charge.
    • quantum number: A number assigned to specific energy levels in an atom.
    • remote sensing: Learning about an object without coming into direct contact with it.
    • reflection: When light bounces off the surface of an object such as a mirror.
    • refraction: Changing of the path of light when passing from one medium to another.
    • spectral line: In a spectrum, light emitted or absorbed at a specific wavelength by an atom or molecule.
    • spectrum: The dispersion of light by wavelength.
    • transmission: When light passes through a material.
    • transparent: A material that light is able to pass through.

    4.8: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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