Atomic spectra series#

What you see on the screen right now, is the light output of over a dozen different stars. And those discrete levels give rise to discrete energies, corresponding to the change in those levels within the atom. In atoms, there are very specific, discreet levels that allow the electrons to reside in. There was nothing to prevent Mercury, for instance, fundamentally from being in a slightly different position relative to the Sun than it is today. But those planets could inhabit any region external to the Sun. So the idea is that in the case of planets for instance, you have a sun, and you have planets going around the sun. Indeed, this understanding became a triumph, as it explained with incredible accuracy, the heretofore mysterious occurrence of the dark lines in stellar spectra. Unlike planets, for example, that could orbit their stars at any distance, quantum mechanics forbade all but a very specific set of distances for the electrons to reside in. The first surprise was the requirement of specific orbits for electrons as they traveled about the nucleus. Several key surprises had fundamental implications for the study of astronomy. The story begins over 100 years ago when the world of physics was truly shaken to its roots by the discoveries of the quantum world. It is truly astonishing that the feeble light from objects apparently so very dim, can illuminate so brightly our knowledge of the heavens in so many ways. Today, I want to talk to you about some of the incredible things that we can tell from looking at the stars. Okay gang, let's roll! And welcome back to analyzing the universe. You will be able to appreciate the excitement that astronomers felt when they made their important discoveries concerning periodic binary x-ray sources, supernovae and their remnants, and extragalactic sources that have shaped our understanding of cosmology. You will using the actual data that scientists use when doing their work. Beginning with an introduction to the nature of image formation, we then move on to examples of how our imaging program, DS9, can aid our understanding of real satellite data. We utilize an imaging tool called DS9 to explore the amazing diversity of astronomical observations that have made x-ray astronomy one of the most active and exciting fields of scientific investigation in the past 50 years.Įach week we will explore a different facet of x-ray astronomy.

Atomic spectra series#

We will analyze energy spectra and time series data to understand how these incredible objects work. Using publicly available data from NASA of actual satellite observations of astronomical x-ray sources, we explore some of the mysteries of the cosmos, including neutron stars, black holes, quasars and supernovae.