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NUV

Near-ultraviolet, abbreviated NUV, denotes the portion of the ultraviolet spectrum adjacent to the visible range. It lies at shorter wavelengths than visible light but longer than far-ultraviolet. In astronomical practice, NUV typically covers wavelengths from roughly 200 to 400 nanometers, with many instruments focusing on the 230 to 280 nanometer region.

Because Earth's atmosphere absorbs most ultraviolet radiation, most NUV observations are conducted from space or high-altitude

Beyond GALEX, the Hubble Space Telescope and other ultraviolet-capable observatories provide NUV data as well. Instruments

NUV photometry is commonly used to estimate star formation rates, constrain ages of stellar populations, and

platforms.
The
Galaxy
Evolution
Explorer
(GALEX),
launched
in
2003,
carried
two
ultraviolet
imaging
channels,
Far-UV
and
Near-UV,
and
conducted
all-sky
surveys
that
advanced
studies
of
star
formation
and
galaxy
evolution.
The
data
produced
by
GALEX
have
been
widely
used
to
trace
recent
star
formation
and
to
characterize
the
ultraviolet
properties
of
diverse
galaxies
and
stellar
populations.
such
as
the
Space
Telescope
Imaging
Spectrograph
(STIS)
and
the
Cosmic
Origins
Spectrograph
(COS)
cover
parts
of
the
near-ultraviolet
and
enable
spectroscopy
of
hot
stars,
star-forming
regions,
quasars,
and
the
interstellar
medium.
NUV
observations
are
implemented
in
imaging
and
spectroscopy
to
study
stellar
ages,
metallicity,
and
the
evolution
of
galaxies
over
cosmic
time.
identify
UV-bright
objects.
The
NUV
magnitude
is
often
reported
in
the
AB
system
in
astronomical
catalogues.
The
acronym
NUV
has
other
meanings
in
different
contexts,
but
in
astronomy
it
refers
to
near-ultraviolet.