Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Reading the Rainbow: Planets

How do astronomers learn about something in space that is very far away? In addition to images, they study the light from cosmic objects like planets, stars, and galaxies. Astronomers spread light out to look at the detailed rainbow spectrum (plural: spectra). Light carries a lot of information, if you learn to “read” its rainbow! In this video, discover how astronomers read spectra to learn the story of distant planets.

Music: “Ambynt,” by Steve Combs, CC BY 4.0 license

  • Release Date
    July 8, 2021
  • Credit
    Animation: NASA, ESA, CSA, Dani Player (STScI); Music: Steve Combs

Downloads

  • Video: 1280 × 720, 30 FPS
    mp4 (11.68 MB)
  • Video: 1920 × 1080, 30 FPS
    mp4 (21.76 MB)
  • Audio Description
    mp3 (175.29 KB)
  • Audio Description
    mp4 (22.37 MB)
  • Audio Description
    doc (19.56 KB)
  • Captions: No Speech
    srt (87 B)
  • Captions: No Speech
    vtt (135 B)
  • Image: Title slate, 3840 × 2160
    png (8.76 MB)

Share

Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Animation Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Dani Player (STScI)

Music Credit

Steve Combs

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…

Science Overview

Webb Observatory

Webb Image Galleries