CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

When doing calculations with atoms with more than one electron (ie, homework question 1.25, which refers to sodium atoms), are we maintaining that each atom can emit only one photon, like with hydrogen? If so, why couldn't an atom having multiple electrons emit multiple photons?
Thank you!

Atoms with more than one electron can emit more than one photon because they have multiple energy levels as the atomic number gets higher (thus the electron number gets higher). Thus, an atom can emit multiple photons because there are more energy levels of which the electrons can move in and out!