Biology Forums - Study Force

The NASA Curiosity rover exploring Mars carries a number of scientific instruments, including a spectrograph (a device for recording a spectrum), and a high intensity laser. On several occasions, Curiosity has fired its laser at the surface of a rock sample, while observing the process with a spectroscope. The laser is intense enough to vaporize the atoms on the surface of the sample into a hot, excited gas. Why is this a useful technique for the rover to employ?
 
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Question 2

Why do astronomers conclude that quasars are very far away?
 
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Question 3

During the first year of its operation, only 20 of the projects scheduled for the Hubble Space Telescope involved taking images and pictures of celestial objects. The remaining 80 of the telescope's time was devoted to observing the spectrum of celestial objects. Why do astronomers place such a high emphasis on looking at the spectrum of a celestial object rather than an image? Explain.
 
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