Unidentifiable spectral lines

Following is an excerpt from an article on recent research done of relevance to star formation:

The colors of the universe

"If you point a telescope to the sky, you see spectral lines that are very specific to a certain molecule or atom," said Pavanello. Different moleculesemit photons at different wavelengths, which result in different spectral lines that allow astronomers to determine the chemical composition of stars. But the more these telescopes get accurate and precise, the more spectral lines we see."

"We are at a point in which we see many, many more spectral lines than we can possibly identify, and we don't know what these lines mean," said Pavanello.

Knowing the vibrational levels, and therefore the spectral lines of H3+, will allow astronomers and astro-chemists to sift through the inundation of spectral lines and further identify the elemental composition of objects in space.