For the most part, stars are seen to have dark line, or absorption, spectra. This is due to the fact that the interior layers of normal stars are sources of a continuous spectrum, and the outer layers are cool enough and dense enough to remove colors of specific wavelengths, depending on such things as composition, temperature and pressure.
Here is an example of how we might identify certain elements in stars.
We have divided stars up into seven different main spectral types, which have different characteristics of luminosity and temperature.
Designed and maintained by .
.
Updated February 15, 2011