Stellar Guide
By: Ashton Smith, Bobby Knoth, and Jonah Wilson
What are spectroscopes?
Spectroscope- scientific instrument used to separate visible light into its spectrum.
Spectroscopes are used to identify compounds and pure substances in stars based on the light the stars give off, to identify the elements that it contains. Scientists can do this by using light spectrums to identify know substances and unknown substances.
Types of Spectrums
Why are spectroscopes so important?
Spectroscopes are important because it helps astronomers learn about objects in space. By studying spectrum, astronomers can learn about composition, temperature, density, motion, and how fast an object is moving towards or away from us.
An example is the Doppler effect which is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to its source. The Doppler effect can tell us how fast something is traveling and/or how far away it is.