The Secrets of Starlight

Did you know.... What is a spectrometer?

Light is made up of waves; Different colours of light (as A spectrometer is an instrument that separates
seen in a rainbow) have different wavelengths. Blue and and measures the different wavelengths in light
violet are the shortest wavelengths the human eye can from a given light-source.
see and red is the longest. The results are called a spectrum.

The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of Continuous spectrum

wavelengths of light. Different regions of the spectrum
have different names. Emission lines
Absorption lines

How does it work?

Have you ever noticed that at the right angle you
can see a rainbow in the surface of a CD?
6cm That is because the shiny side of a CD in covered
in tiny groves in a spiral pattern. These groves are
about 800nm in width and act as a diffraction
Tin-foil grating.
CD 60°
CD slit
Scientists analyse the wavelengths in light using
spectrometers to learn about the substances that Spectrometer A Diffraction grating causes light of different
emitted the light. The most famous example of this is wavelengths to be reflected at different angles
figuring out what stars are made of! because of interference.

Cereal Photo of diffracted white

box light in a CD spectrometer
Make your own CD spectrometer
You will need: What to do:
- An unwanted CD 1. With the cereal box in portrait orientation, mark a line on the 5. Take a 2 cm by 2 cm piece of tin foil and cut it in half (be
- An empty cereal box left side of the box 5.7 cm down from the top sure to get straight edges!)
- heavy duty tape 2. From this line cut into the box (through the left side, and 6. Tape the tin foil over the hole you just made, with a small
front and back faces) at 60° to the side about 3.5 cm (see slit between them (<1mm) so a small amount of light can
- Tin foil diagram) get through
- scissors/ a knife 3. Slot the CD into the cut you have made 7. Cut a small hole in the top side of the box just above the
- An adult's help 4. On the right side of the box measure 6 cm down from the top CD
of the box and cut a small hole at this position (about 1cm by 8. Tape your box closed and around the CD so only the tin-
1cm) foil slit and eye hole let light in or out
9. Try out your new spectrometer! But remember never look
at the sun through it