Hα line

The $H_α$ line astronomers saw is like detecting echoes from a fight between the two friends in their far-off disco, where some gas just flew past and we caught its signal.

Technical definition

A spectral line corresponding to the transition of hydrogen atoms from energy level 3 to energy level 2, often used as an indicator of mass transfer activity or other astrophysical phenomena.

Browse the Nebula Glossary