Undergrad What is column density in astronomy?

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Column density in astronomy refers to the number of particles per unit area along a line of sight through a medium, often used to describe the distribution of gas and dust in space. The discussion highlights confusion around the calculation and derivation of column density, with specific references to academic resources for further reading. Participants suggest reviewing various links, including Wikipedia and scholarly articles, to clarify understanding. The user seeks assistance in grasping the concepts presented in these resources, particularly in relation to specific sections that detail calculations and examples. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of foundational knowledge and available literature in comprehending column density.
ray_mcintos
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I have read about column density but I am unable to get a clear idea about it.
What is column density in astronomy?
 
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ray_mcintos said:
Summary:: I have read about column density but I am unable to get a clear idea about it.

What is column density in astronomy?
Could you post some links to your reading so far, and point out what is confusing? Doing a Google search on your thread title turns up lots of good hits, IMO...

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_density

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/400/4/2050/1746878

http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/education/spring02/scalo/aikawa.pdf
 
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https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/680323/pdf

Section 4 in the above link, I was trying to understand the way to calculate but I am not clear about the derivation and in the section 15 there are some examples of column density calculation that one too.
 
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Thread 'Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs)'

UC Berkely, December 16, 2025 https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/16/whats-powering-these-mysterious-bright-blue-cosmic-flashes-astronomers-find-a-clue/ AT 2024wpp, a luminous fast blue optical transient, or LFBOT, is the bright blue spot at the upper right edge of its host galaxy, which is 1.1 billion light-years from Earth in (or near) a galaxy far, far away. Such objects are very bright (obiously) and very energetic. The article indicates that AT 2024wpp had a peak luminosity of 2-4 x...
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