"The movement of the emitters of the spectral lines may be deduced on the basis of the Doppler principle"
About this Quote
The subtext is early-20th-century physics at its most ambitious: the laboratory and the sky are being collapsed into the same system of rules. The Doppler principle, originally associated with everyday waves, becomes a passport into invisible velocities. Stark’s line sits in the period when spectroscopy and relativity-era thinking made measurement feel like destiny: if frequency shifts, then motion is not a guess or a story; it’s an inference with numbers attached.
There’s also a quiet disciplinary flex here. “Deduced” signals a hierarchy: theory validates observation, and observation feeds back into theory. It’s not just describing a technique; it’s underwriting an epistemology where indirect measurement is treated as real as direct sight. In a culture increasingly obsessed with precision - in science, industry, and later warfare - the appeal is obvious: you don’t need to chase objects to know how they move. You just need their light, and the nerve to trust your instruments.
Quote Details
| Topic | Science |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Stark, Johannes. (2026, January 16). The movement of the emitters of the spectral lines may be deduced on the basis of the Doppler principle. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-movement-of-the-emitters-of-the-spectral-83678/
Chicago Style
Stark, Johannes. "The movement of the emitters of the spectral lines may be deduced on the basis of the Doppler principle." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-movement-of-the-emitters-of-the-spectral-83678/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The movement of the emitters of the spectral lines may be deduced on the basis of the Doppler principle." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-movement-of-the-emitters-of-the-spectral-83678/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
