Telescope Vocabulary

An ideal body or surface that completely absorbs all radiant energy falling upon it with no reflection and that radiates at all frequencies with a spectral energy distribution dependent on its absolute temperature

• Blackbody

• Microwave

• Stefan-Boltzmann Law

• Wien's Law

The entire range of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation extending from gamma rays to the longest radio waves and including visible light

• Energy Flux

• Radio waves

• Visible Light

• Electromagnetic Spectrum

the rate of transfer of energy across a given surface

• Infrared

• Energy flux

• Radio waves

• Wein's Law

a penetrating electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves and so imparts the highest photon energy.

• Microwaves

• Radio Waves

• Gamma Rays

• X Rays

A range of electromagnetic radiation situated outside the visible spectrum at its red end used of radiation having a wavelength between about 700 nm and 1 mm

• Radio

• Ultraviolet

• X ray

• Infrared

a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter; with frequencies between 300 MHz (1 m) and 300 GHz (1 mm).

• Radio

• X ray

• Microwave

• Gamma ray

A type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies as high as 300 gigahertz (GHz) to as low as 30 hertz (Hz)

• Radio waves

• Infrared rays

• X rays

• Ultraviolet

States that the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body across all wavelengths per unit time (also known as the black-body radiant emittance) is directly proportional to the fourth power of the black body's thermodynamic temperature

• Wien's Law

• Stefan-Boltzmann Law

• Universal Law of Gravitation

• Blackbody law

a range of electromagnetic radiation situated beyond the visible spectrum at its violet end used of radiation having a wavelength shorter than wavelengths of visible light and longer than those of X-rays

• Infrared

• X ray

• Gamma ray

• Ultraviolet

situated in the region of the electromagnetic spectrum perceptible to human vision used of radiation having a wavelength between about 400 nanometers and 700 nanometers

• X rays

• Infrared

• Visible light

• Radio waves