Secondly, using standard filter sets, you are able to link your efforts with the greater body of photometric science. This allows you to link and compare your work with archival data sets and literature references. It also opens the door to being able to do collaborative research. By collaborating, you are able to work on more complex programs and by pooling your efforts with others, overcome transient problems with weather and equipment. To demonstrate how using filters can provide astrophysical insights into your targets, you need to understand the mechanisms that give rise to stellar spectra.
Stellar spectra are the result of several different phenomena.
The most important characteristics of stellar spectra are determined by surface temperature. This peak point is a function of temperature. The figure below shows the characteristic shape of several black body radiation curves. T he curves at right are mostly in the infrared. At this temperature its peak energy output is at 550nm.