Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2015
The problem of the determination of the chemical compositions of planetary and other gaseous nebulae constitutes one of the most exasperating problems in astrophysics. On the one hand, the problem appears to be conceptually simple – the mechanisms of excitation of the various lines appear to be well understood and the necessary physical parameters can be obtained by quantum mechanical theory. Yet the task is a difficult one and we want to explore some of the significant features.