Light from the distant galaxies NCv1.143 and APM 08279+5255 (IMAGE)
Caption
Light from two distant galaxies showing signs of many different molecules. The sharp peaks in these graphs, known as spectral lines, tell astronomers about the gas clouds that emit the light. The horizontal axis shows both wavelength and frequency of the light; the vertical axis shows relative brightness. The top spectrum has been shifted upwards for clarity. In red, the graph shows the galaxy NCv1.143 and in purple, APM 08279+5255.
Credit
Chentao Yang et al.
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