Examples of absorption line in a Sentence
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Any molecules present can absorb certain wavelengths of the star's light, which should show up in the star's spectrum as absorption lines.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 Mar. 2026
This shows up in quasar and galactic absorption lines, as illustrated above, in what’s known as the Lyman-α forest.
—Big Think, 6 Mar. 2026
While the absorption line before the peak was about 3,800 km/s, the component that appeared after the peak reached about 5,500 km/s.
The timing is significant.
—Ritsuko Kawai, Wired News, 19 Jan. 2026
When comparing the results, they were stunned to discover several previously undescribed samarium absorption lines.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Aug. 2025
When astronomers examined the spectrum of Van Maanen 2 on one of these plates, they were astonished to see spectral features usually associated with much more massive stars—namely, a strong calcium absorption line in the star’s atmosphere.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
As the rules of atomic physics and the absorption lines of gases were characterized in lab experiments, astronomers used spectroscopic observations to determine the composition of the sun, to deduce the life cycles of stars, and to measure the dynamics of galaxies.
—Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
By the time the universe was about 1 billion years old, those absorption lines fade out, indicating the disappearance of the last remaining neutral hydrogen.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 10 Sep. 2024
Because spectra also reveal the gas’s chemical components, density, temperature, and motion toward or away from Earth, for the last 50 years quasar absorption line studies have remained one of the best ways to study cosmic gas.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2019
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 Mar. 2026
This shows up in quasar and galactic absorption lines, as illustrated above, in what’s known as the Lyman-α forest.
—Big Think, 6 Mar. 2026
While the absorption line before the peak was about 3,800 km/s, the component that appeared after the peak reached about 5,500 km/s.
The timing is significant.
—Ritsuko Kawai, Wired News, 19 Jan. 2026
When comparing the results, they were stunned to discover several previously undescribed samarium absorption lines.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Aug. 2025
When astronomers examined the spectrum of Van Maanen 2 on one of these plates, they were astonished to see spectral features usually associated with much more massive stars—namely, a strong calcium absorption line in the star’s atmosphere.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
As the rules of atomic physics and the absorption lines of gases were characterized in lab experiments, astronomers used spectroscopic observations to determine the composition of the sun, to deduce the life cycles of stars, and to measure the dynamics of galaxies.
—Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
By the time the universe was about 1 billion years old, those absorption lines fade out, indicating the disappearance of the last remaining neutral hydrogen.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 10 Sep. 2024
Because spectra also reveal the gas’s chemical components, density, temperature, and motion toward or away from Earth, for the last 50 years quasar absorption line studies have remained one of the best ways to study cosmic gas.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Absorption line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absorption%20line. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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