Do the dynamics of atoms and their properties hold true across the universe?
In: Chemistry
Astronomers send the light from distant stars through a device called a spectroscope. It is like a prism, and breaks the light into individual frequencies. There are peaks in the spectrum that are specific to the atoms that emit the light. This is how astronomers determine what a distant star is made of. This is also how helium was identified in the spectrum of the sun before it was identified on Earth.
As I said, the spectrum from an atom is tightly coupled to physical constants that control quantum behavior. So if the arrangement of spectral lines from a distant star are the same as the spectral lines we see on earth, we can infer that those physical constants are the same across the universe.
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