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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
Optical spectra of nebulae and novae are dominated by recombination lines of H I, Be I and He II and by forbidden lines, such as those of [0 III]. Their IR spectra show the fine-structure lines and continua due to dust. Most of the lines observed in the UV (say from 3000 to 1200 Å) are either due to resonance transitions (e.g. C IV 1549) or are of intercombination type (e.g. C III] 1908). Some elements do not have many lines in the optical - nitrogen gives only [N II] and there are no forbidden lines of ionized carbon - and for such elements much valuable information is provided by UV lines (e.g. N III], N IV], N V, C II], C III] and C IV). Carbon/oxygen abundance ratios deduced from combined UV and optical observations agree well with those deduced from IR continuum features (Seaton, 1983).