Increasing student understanding of Spectroscopy and Hertzsprung-Russel Diagrams

Arunava Roy

Young Harris College

In this article the role of spectroscopy in understanding Hertzsprung-Russel diagrams is discussed. Intuitive methods of calculating equivalent and line widths of spectral lines are first presented. This is followed by a discussion about the justification of drawing temperature-luminosity diagrams based on line widths.