Space

Introduction

Stars are the most widely recognized astronomical components that symbolize the fundamental; building blocks of the galaxies. The age, disbursement, and framework of the night sky in a galaxy maintain a record of the heritage, characteristics, and evolvement of the galaxy. According to “Stars” (2015), “stars are responsible for the manufacture and distribution of heavy elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and their characteristics are intimately tied to the characteristics of the planetary systems that may coalesce about them.” The subject of stars, their formation, life span, and death have long been the leading subject of astronomy.

How to Determine the Properties of Distant Objects

Astronomers rely on a variety of tools based on the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum also known as the EM band that is going to be observed. Scientists study light that comes from distant objects to determine its composition, temperature, speed, and rotation of distant objects. This process is called spectroscopy.

Composition

Kurtus (2013), “Scientist use a spectrometer, which is a device that spreads out an incoming beam of light into its spectrum of different colors or wavelengths.” Astronomers find this tool to be most useful because it allows them to determine the chemical structure of planets and stars, as well as specify the speed and direction of a star or galaxy.

Temperature

When a chemical element is heated, it gives off a light in separate spectral lines, as opposed to a constant range of colors. A spectral line is a single frequency or wavelength of light. Using a spectrometer and measuring the wavelengths allows astronomers to determine what materials are being heated. Also, the strength of the spectral line also gives a suggestion on how much of the element is in the object (Kurtus, 2013).

Speed

A spectrometer can also be used to determine the speed of a distant object. When a star is moving away from Earth, the star’s spectral lines will shift toward lower frequencies. According to Kurtus (2013), “this is called a red-shift because the lines are moving toward the red end of the spectrum. The velocity away from Earth can then be calculated from the amount of red-shift. When the star or galaxy is moving toward the observer, the spectral lines shift toward the blue end. This is called a blue-shift.” The speed, in this case, is calculated from the amount of the change that occurs.

Rotation Rate

Astronomers use Doppler shifts to calculate exactly how fast stars and other astronomical objects move toward or away from Earth. With the Doppler Effect sounds from objects moving toward you are at a higher pitch because the sound waves are