interstellar line

noun

: one of the dark spectral lines of a star or other distant celestial body that is caused by the absorption of atoms and molecules in the intervening interstellar gas and that does not partake of the Doppler shift of the spectral lines produced in the star itself

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Dictionary Entries Near interstellar line

Cite this Entry

“Interstellar line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interstellar%20line. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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