starlight

Starry sky crossed with the Milky Way and a shooting star

Starlight is light emitted by stars.^[1] It typically refers to visible electromagnetic radiation coming from stars other than the Sun, during the night, although starlight technically forms a minor component of daylight as well. Observation and measurement of starlight through telescopes is the basis for many fields of astronomy,^[2] including photometry and stellar spectroscopy.^[3] Starlight is also a notable part of personal experience and human culture, impacting a diverse range of pursuits including poetry^[4], astronomy^[2], and military strategy.^[5]

The U.S. Army spent millions of dollars in the 1950s and onward to develop a starlight scope, that could amplify starlight, moonlight filtered by clouds, and the florescence of rotting vegetation about 50,000 times to allow a person to see in the night.^[5] In contrast to previously developed active infrared system such as sniperscope, it was a passive device and did not require additional light emission to see.^[5]

An example of poetic use of starlight in literature composition is the phrase "frosty starlight".^[4] Starlight is (currently) a shade of beige known as Cosmic Latte.

Starlight spectroscopy, examination of the stellar spectra, was pioneered by Joseph Fraunhofer in 1814.^[3] Starlight can be understood to be composed of three main spectra types, continuous spectrum, emission spectrum, and absorption spectrum.^[1]

References

See also

• Sunlight
• Moonlight
• Daylight
• List of brightest stars
• Purkinje effect

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