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The term spectrophotometer is used for an instrument to record the spectrum of incoming light, its use termed spectrophotometry. The term is essentially a synonym for spectrograph, spectroscope, and spectrometer, but spectrophotometer is commonly used for a laboratory instrument that includes a light source, which is designed to contain a sample substance for transmission spectroscopy or reflection spectroscopy. In theory, such an instrument could be used for in situ instruments in astronomy or planetary science space probes.
Despite the above most-common usage, the term spectrophotometer has been incorporated in the name of a few research astronomical telescope instruments, for example, the MPI-CAHA 3.5m, and COBE.