How do emission nebulae produce their characteristic red glow?
Answer
Recombination of electrons with ionized hydrogen releasing H-alpha emission
When ultraviolet radiation strips electrons from hydrogen atoms, the subsequent recombination process releases energy. For hydrogen, the dominant visible line produced is H-alpha, which falls in the red part of the spectrum (around 656 nanometers).
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What Makes Reflection Nebulae Appear Blue? - Physics Frontier
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