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spectrometer

Instrument used to measure the spectral components of light as a function of its part in the electromagnetic spectrum

EntityQ188463

Also known as spectrometers

Subclass of: measuring instrument
, physical tool

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A spectrometer is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the spectral components are somehow mixed. In visible light a spectrometer can separate white light and measure individual narrow bands of color, called a spectrum. A mass spectrometer measures the spectrum of the masses of the atoms or molecules present in a gas. The first spectrometers were used to split light into an array of separate colors. Spectrometers were developed in early studies of physics, astronomy, and chemistry. The capability of spectroscopy to determine chemical composition drove its advancement and continues to be one of its primary uses. Spectrometers are used in astronomy to analyze the chemical composition of stars and planets, and spectrometers gather data on the origin of the universe.

Overview

All data

36 statements · 17% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Has use: spectrometry

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28 identifiers linking spectrometer across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

17%

externally sourced

Source last edited June 11, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). spectrometer (Q188463). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/spectrometer-Q188463