Space exploration began with the launch of Sputnik and Astrophysics was born as the application of physics to the phenomena observed by Astronomy, which etymologically means laws of the stars.
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| Maser |
In astronomy, an emission process in molecular clouds whereby certain spectral lines in the microwave emission of particular molecules are strongly amplified by natural processes similar to those exploited in lasers. Maser action in an astronomical source was first discovered in 1965 in the emission from hydroxyl OH molecules in a source in the Orion Nebula. Other molecules subsequently found to show a similar effect include water H2O, silicon monoxide SiO, formaldehyde H2CO and methyl alcohol CH3OH. The word maser is an acronym for microwave amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.
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