the use of spectroscopes to analyze spectra
"Astronomers used spectroscopy to identify the chemical composition of distant stars by analyzing their light spectra."
The scientific study of spectra.
"Scientists use spectroscopy to analyze the light emitted by distant stars and identify their chemical composition."
In plain English: Spectroscopy is the study of how light interacts with matter to reveal what something is made of.
"Scientists use spectroscopy to analyze the chemical composition of stars without ever leaving Earth."
The word combines the Greek root spektron, meaning a ray or beam of light, with -scopy, which denotes the act of viewing. It entered English to describe the scientific technique of analyzing light spectra.