| Term: | Interstellar reddening |
| Definition: |
The dimming of light during its travel in the interstellar medium due to absorption by intervening dust grains. Since shorter wavelengths are particularly affected, the spectrum of the light is increasingly dominated by the long wavelength end of the spectrum. As a result, the light is 'reddened' as it travels through space. Robert J. Trumpler (1886-1956), a Swiss-American astronomer, was the first to produce a definite evidence of the existence of interstellar extinction and to estimate its magnitude (1930). |