spectrometer

spec·trom·e·ter | \ spek-ˈträ-mə-tər

\

Definition of spectrometer

1 : an instrument used for measuring wavelengths of light spectra

2 : any of various analytical instruments in which an emission (as of particles or radiation) is dispersed according to some property (such as mass or energy) of the emission and the amount of dispersion is measured nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer

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Examples of spectrometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The $2 billion spectrometer — launched to the space station in 2011 — could resume its hunt for elusive antimatter and dark matter in the coming days. — SFChronicle.com, "News of the Day From Across the Nation," 25 Jan. 2020 Instead, its two landing skids will each carry a rotary-percussive drill capable of taking samples and feeding them, through a pneumatic tube, to a mass spectrometer capable of analyzing their composition. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "NASA will fly a billion-dollar quadcopter to Titan, Saturn’s methane-rich moon," 27 June 2019 Loaded with nine science instruments, including mass spectrometers and ice-penetrating radars, the spacecraft will inspect the moon from a range of distances between 16 and 1700 miles. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "There Goes Europa, Just Spewing Jets of Water Vapor into Space," 20 Nov. 2019 By sorting out the weight of thousands of molecules in a one microliter urine sample, the mass spectrometer can give users a thorough molecular analysis of their urine, and alert them to anything amiss, in about 10 minutes. — Kevin Wheeler, USA TODAY, "What's in your pee? A smart toilet could revolutionize personal health but also pose privacy risks," 18 Dec. 2019 The spectrometer flew up on space shuttle Endeavour’s last mission in 2011. — Washington Post, "Spacewalking astronauts add new pumps to cosmic detector," 2 Dec. 2019 Unlike Hubble, the spectrometer was never meant to undergo space surgery. — BostonGlobe.com, "Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano and U.S. astronaut Andrew Morgan ventured out Friday with dozens of tools and four new pumps for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. NASA considers these spacewalks the most difficult since the Hubble Space Telescope repairs a few decades ago.," 15 Nov. 2019 Harrison's institute, SWRI, bought one of the portable spectrometers to complement its existing profiling abilities. — Lucas Laursen, Scientific American, "Catching Whisky Fakers," 1 Dec. 2018 To map such point emissions, scientists in California flew over the state with an airborne imaging spectrometer, using it to measure methane emissions. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "California’s methane super-emitters," 17 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spectrometer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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spectroheliokinematograph

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Last Updated

8 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Spectrometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectrometer. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for spectrometer

spectrometer

noun

spec·trom·e·ter | \ spek-ˈträm-ət-ər

\

Medical Definition of spectrometer

1 : an instrument used for measuring wavelengths of light spectra

2 : any of various analytical instruments in which an emission (as of particles or radiation) is dispersed according to some property (as mass or energy) of the emission and the amount of dispersion is measured nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer