Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Ultraviolet Astronomy

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• Information collected by ultraviolet telescopes

Matter in the universe emits radiation (energy in the form of subatomic particles or waves) from all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of wavelengths produced by the interaction of electricity and magnetism. The electromagnetic spectrum includes light waves, radio waves, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X rays, and gamma rays.

Ultraviolet astronomy is the study of celestial matter that emits ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet waves are just shorter than the violet end (shortest wavelength) of the visible light spectrum. This branch of astronomy has provided additional information about stars (including the Sun), galaxies, the solar system, the interstellar medium (the "empty" space between celestial...