A deep-space survey vessel encounters an ethereal luminescent gas cloud surrounding a dormant asteroid belt. When the ship's spectrometer analyzes the radiant glow of the vapor, it records several discrete, sharply defined bright wavelengths against a dark background rather than an unbroken rainbow. Which atomic phenomenon is directly responsible for producing these distinct narrow lines of light?

A) Protons within the gaseous atomic nuclei undergo radioactive decay, liberating radiant energy across a continuous distribution.

B) Ground-state electrons absorb external thermal energy to jump outward into higher, continuously variable energy regions.

C) Excited electrons transition from higher to lower quantized energy levels, releasing photons with specific discrete energies.

D) Thermal collisions between unbound electrons generate broad-spectrum electromagnetic radiation through continuous deceleration.

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Chemistry · Atomic Structure · Chemistry · Electrons in Atoms

1 Chemistry practice questions on Atomic emission spectra. Questions built around original scenarios.

Atomic Structure · Chemistry

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