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symbo symbo
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In order for Balmer series lines to show up strongly in absorption in stellar spectra, significant numbers of hydrogen atoms have to have electrons in the n = 2 energy level.  What then does the appearance of such lines in a stellar spectrum tell us about the temperature of the star's surface?
A)   It tells us very little about the temperature because hydrogen gas will show significant Balmer absorption, whatever the surface temperature.
B)   It must be high enough to ionize the hydrogen atoms by collision in order that they can absorb from this level.
C)   It must be reasonably low so that no atoms will have electrons excited beyond this energy level (e.g., to n = 3).
D)   It must be reasonably high to excite the electrons to this level by collisions, but not high enough to ionize the atoms.
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Discovering the Universe

Discovering the Universe


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symbo Author
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7 years ago
This did it for me! Thank you
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