Drakkith said:Spectroscopy! Search on Google or Wiki for it and you should find loads of info.
Drakkith said:I found the following site, it seems to have a LOT of results. I typed in 4500-4600 for the wavelength range and it gave me about 500 results.
http://www.pa.uky.edu/~peter/atomic/
There are several methods used by scientists to determine elements based on received frequency from space, including spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Spectroscopy involves analyzing the light emitted or absorbed by an object, which can provide information about its chemical composition. By comparing the frequency of light emitted from an object to known spectra of elements, scientists can identify the elements present.
Yes, mass spectrometry is a powerful technique for determining the elemental composition of a sample. It works by ionizing the atoms or molecules in a sample and then separating them based on their mass-to-charge ratio, allowing scientists to identify the elements present.
NMR spectroscopy involves applying a magnetic field to a sample, causing the nuclei of certain elements to resonate at specific frequencies. By analyzing these frequencies, scientists can identify the elements present in a sample.
One of the main challenges in determining elements from space is the low signal-to-noise ratio of the received frequencies, which can make it difficult to distinguish between different elements. Additionally, there may be interference from other sources, such as cosmic rays, that can affect the accuracy of the results.