What does the expression “full width at half maximum” (FWHM) mean in solar astronomy?
To begin with let’s make a simple effort to describe the term Full width at half maximum in simple terms. This term is used to measure the width of an object that does not have sharp edges. We can have specific dimensions for a box which will have height width and volume also. Other one dimensional stuff such as a square or rectangle on a paper will have a specific length and breath. But an object such as a star in the universe may not be as concrete as a box. And when we are measuring, we just measure its image. This measurement is closer to a Gaussian curve and can be described as the distance between points on the curve at which the function reaches half its maximum value. Usually quoted in nanometres, it can also be measured as a velocity by applying the Doppler Effect. GA_googleFillSlotWithSize(HELAD_publishercode, “ArticleATFMiddleArticle300x250”, 300, 250); Now lets begin to understand in a brief way what solar astronomy is all about and what all do we measure in solar astronomy
