How We Know What Stuff in Space is Made Of - Ask a Spaceman!

How did chemists save astronomy? What’s so important about the spectrum, and how are they made? How can we tell what things in space are made out of? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!

Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SPACE! Music by Jason Grady and Nick Bain.

[nazhatkhan]

It was an interesting video on highlighting the stuff the space is made of with spectroscopy the study of light emitted by objects in space like helium which was discovered on Sun, identifying elements in space by hot Nebulas emitting specific lights of wavelengths emission when atoms and molecules involved in the Nebulas get hot, blocking light from the star, rovers on surface of planets by laser techniques and also motion of the celestial bodies in space .

[bradwilliamson]

Regarding these bright (emitting) lines and dark (absorbing) lines, do they only fall within the visible range of the electro-magnetic spectrum or do they also show within the infrared and/or ultraviolet (or beyond) if you ignore red/blue shifting? 🤔

[russellneitzke]

Audio sine waves are carriers of energy that help us detect the difference between a trumpet and the human voice playing/singing the same note. We call tis timbre. Could dark matter affect these waves or any other waves from radio to gamma rays? Yes I'm wondering if dark matter is a trumpet.

[infinitemonkey]

Spectroscopy is cool except when it is used to find drug metabolites.