Project Star Precision Spectrometer

Grades 9-12.

Now students can see absorption lines in the sun’s spectrum with this spectrometer developed at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics’ Project STAR. With actual wavelength measurements and equivalent energies in electron volts, this tool enables students to identify different elements in various light sources, such as fluorescent lights, incandescent light bulbs, gas tubes, sodium or Mercury vapor lights, etc. They will be able to see the double yellow line of Mercury vapor in the spectrum of a fluorescent lamp. Light pollution can be studied by checking yellow street lights to see if they are high- or low-pressure sodium lamps. The spectrometer comes with a strip of film that includes the slit and a scale from which a color may be identified by wavelength in nanometers or photon energy in electron volts. Activities include: observing what diffraction grating does, calibrating the spectrometer, and identifying various light sources. Durable plastic construction. Recommended for astronomy, chemistry, physics, physical science, and earth science from high school to college.