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LexiconDul t1_jarhdv8 wrote

The answer is in the link you provided, and is alluded to by u/SirHerald. Black body radiation is the idealized emissions due to heat from a "black body." Any specific material will have a different actual emission spectrum when heated, depending on the difference in electron shell energy levels of its atoms or molecules. The energy levels that the electrons fall from in heated Thorium tend to release more photons that are in the visible spectrum of humans that the idealized black body radiation at the given temperature would.

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Blakut t1_jarimk4 wrote

The problem is the wiki article alludes that this line emission from atoms breaking off from the material and having chemical reactions in the flames around it is not entirely responsible for enhancing its glow.

edit: idk why i considered gases (which i thought i know) and solids (which i know i don't know) as so different. Kirchoffs law applies to solids too, so if a solid is a poor absorber at a wavelength, it must be a good emitter.

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