A spectrum consisting of groups or bands of closely spaced lines. Band spectra are characteristic of molecular gases or chemical compounds. When the light emitted or absorbed by molecules is viewed through a spectroscope with small dispersion, the spectrum appears to consist of very wide asymmetrical lines called bands. These bands usually have a maximum intensity near one edge, called a band head, and a gradually decreasing intensity on the other side. In some band systems the intensity shading is toward shorter waves, in others toward longer waves. Each band system consists of a series of nearly equally spaced bands called progressions; corresponding bands of different progressions form groups called sequences.