Lyman continuum photon

Dear little one, have you ever heard of light? It's that thing that helps us see everything around us. Well, it turns out that light is made up of little packets of energy called photons.

Now, there are different types of photons that come in different sizes, and the lyman continuum photon is a special type of photon that has a very small size. In fact, it's so small that it's able to interact with something called a hydrogen atom in a very special way.

You see, a hydrogen atom is made up of a nucleus (which is like the "core" of the atom) and an electron (which is like a little "planet" that orbits around the nucleus). When a lyman continuum photon interacts with a hydrogen atom, it can give that electron just the right amount of energy to knock it out of its orbit around the nucleus.

When this happens, the hydrogen atom turns into an ion (which is like a charged particle) and the electron is released into space. This process is really important because it helps us understand how stars and galaxies form.

So, to summarize: a lyman continuum photon is a type of photon that is very small, and it can interact with hydrogen atoms in a special way by giving an electron just the right amount of energy to knock it out of its orbit. This process is really important for understanding how stars and galaxies form. Hope that helps!