Homework Help: Physics

Posted by Leigh on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 11:44pm.

Since an absorbing gas reemits the light it absorbs, why are there dark lines in an absorption spectrum? That is why doesn't the reemitted light simply fill in the dark places?

Physics - DrBob222, Friday, March 28, 2008 at 12:53am
If ALL of the absorbed light could be emitted in the same direction, then the dark places WOULD be filled in; however, the re-emitted light covers a spherical 360 degrees so much of it goes in another direction.

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