Why do we add energy? Shouldn’t the gas glow all by itself without any help?
Yes, but the electrons will populate the lowest energy state. In order to see the spectra to the fullest, energy is used to populate excited states and let the electrons cascade down through the orbits, producing as many characteristic photons as possible.
Periodic Table with Spectra
Periodic Table with Spectra
What would an absorption spectrum look like to a computer?
Periodic Table with Spectra What would an absorption spectrum look like to a computer? An exercise for the reader
Click here to view a temperature adjustable continuous spectrum