Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: sun's spectrum

On Fri, 30 Jan 1998 07:07:30 -0600 brian whatcott said:
As Kirchhoff pointed out in connection with thermal radiation, good
absorbers are in general good emitters. (In fact Prevost [1792] said
as much.)
So these 'absorption' lines do not in fact represent a loss of flux -
rather a contrast effect with the continuum radiation surrounding.

My understanding was that when the hydrogen etc. absorb photons that were
directed toward me, they reradiate photons in all directions and therefore
I see fewer photons than I would have if the gasses had not been there.
Hence dark lines. However, this does not seem to help understanding of
the experiment Bob Sciamanda describes. Any insights?