Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars (eBook)

Reading the Lines in Stellar Spectra

Keith Robinson (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2007 | 2007
XII, 160 Seiten
Springer New York (Verlag)
978-0-387-68288-4 (ISBN)

Infos

This is the first non-technical book on spectroscopy written specifically for practical amateur astronomers. It includes all the science necessary for a qualitative understanding of stellar spectra, but avoids a mathematical treatment which would alienate many of its intended readers. Any amateur astronomer who carries out observational spectroscopy and who wants a non-technical account of the physical processes which determine the intensity and profile morphology of lines in stellar spectra will find this is the only book written specially for them. It is an ideal companion to existing books on observational amateur astronomical spectroscopy.

Keith Robinson obtained a degree in physics from the University of Lancaster, and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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While most amateur astronomers know about the red shift, have a general idea of the way that the emission and absorption lines in stellar spectra provide an insight into the atomic processes of the star, it is unusual to find someone who has any kind of detailed knowledge. The reason isn't lack on interest - far from it - but is because all the books currently available are pitched at professional astronomers and degree students, and are to say the least, difficult to read.This is the first non-technical book on this subject, written specifically for practical amateur astronomers. It includes all the science necessary for a qualitative understanding of stellar spectra, but avoids a mathematical treatment which would alienate many of its intended readers.Any amateur astronomer who carries out (or who is interested in) observational spectroscopy and who wants a non-technical account of the physical processes which determine the intensity and profile morphology of lines in stellar spectra will find this is the only book written specially for him. And of course, "e;armchair astronomers"e; who simply want to understand the physical processes which shape lines in stellar spectra will find this book equally fascinating.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements 6
Contents 7
Introduction 10
Spectroscopy—A New Golden Age for Amateur Astronomy 12
The Basic Stuff— Light Radiation and Atoms 15
Behind the Lines— The Magnificent Energy Level Structure of an Atom 33
Our Old Friend the Doppler Effect 54
When Is a Spectral Line Not a Spectral Line? 60
Stellar Spectra and That Famous Mnemonic 78
Cool but not Smooth— The Molecular Spectra of Red Stars 91
Glows in the Dark— Emission Lines and Nebulae 101
GlowingVortices— Accretion Disks 112
The P Cygni Profile and Friends 126
Spectral Magnetism—The Zeeman Effect 133
‘ How Much Gold in Them There Stars?’— The Curve of Growth 147
Conclusion 155
Appendix A— Powers of Ten 156
Appendix B— Constants and Formulae 160
Index 163

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.8.2007
• Reihe/Serie: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
• Reihe/Serie: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
• Zusatzinfo: XII, 160 p. 87 illus.
• Verlagsort: New York
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: book about spectroscopy • Galaxy • Planet • spectral lines explained • Star • Stellar • understanding stellar spectra
• ISBN-10: 0-387-68288-0 / 0387682880
• ISBN-13: 978-0-387-68288-4 / 9780387682884