A continuous spectrum has no gaps and can contain any unbroken segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light is a continuous spectrum, with different wavelengths perceived as different colors. Astronomers use spectra to study stars and other objects, learning about their composition and interactions. Other types of spectra, such as radio waves and microwaves, are also useful in studying the universe.
A continuous spectrum is one that shows no gaps throughout its range. A rainbow is a good example of a continuous spectrum. By passing white light through a prism, Sir Isaac Newton was the first to demonstrate that it consists of a continuous spectrum of all wavelengths of visible light. Spectra are important in the study of astronomy, and a continuous spectrum can contain any unbroken segment of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, whether visible or not.
All electromagnetic energy can be at least partially defined by its wavelength. The portion of the entire electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to human eyes is perceived by us as light and is called visible light. Humans can see light ranging from purple to red. Violet light has the shortest wavelength of all visible light, and red has the longest. Because we can see all the different wavelengths of light along this portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, we perceive it as one continuous spectrum.
Astronomers often use spectra to study stars and other astronomical bodies. Spectra are the segments of measurable electromagnetic energies emitted by these objects. By studying the spectra of stars, astronomers can learn a great deal about them, including their elemental composition, since different elements emit light of a certain wavelength when highly energized, as occurs in the intense heat inside a star. The gaps in the continuous spectra, known as absorption lines, show where an object emits no light at the wavelengths where the gaps occur, or that it absorbs light at these wavelengths. Similarly, emission lines are lines in the spectra that show an increase in energy emitted at certain wavelengths, showing as distinct lines that are brighter than the surrounding spectrum.
Spectra types other than light can be said to be continuous. Any segment of the entire electromagnetic spectrum which, taken as a section, shows no break along its radius is called a continuous spectrum. Also of great use to astronomers and astrophysicists, electromagnetic energies such as radio waves and microwaves are also part of the energy spectra emitted by many astronomical bodies. By studying these spectra and any absorption or emission lines, scientists are able to learn a lot about them, how they interact with each other, and about the universe as a whole.
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