An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The method of using the nebular observations to estimate the stellar ultraviolet radiation and the temperature of the central star in a planetary nebula. The basic assumptions are that the flux from a star could be approximately represented by the Planck function and that the nebula absorbs all the ultraviolet photons from the star which can cause ionization. For each ultraviolet photon absorbed an Hα photon is emitted when the ionized hydrogen subsequently recombines with an electron. Thus the strength of the Hα line is related to the ultraviolet flux of the star. However, modern theoretical work on stellar atmospheres shows that there are important deviations between the emergent fluxes from stars and Planck functions. Moreover, some of the stellar ultraviolet photons may be missed.

See also: Named after the Dutch astrophysicist Herman Zanstra (1894-1972), who first introduced the method in 1927.