University of Colorado
A Spectral Mystery
It's no mystery that every gas has an emission spectrum. Scholars use a spectrograph to look at the emission spectra of nitrogen, oxygen, air, and other gases in gas discharge tubes. They use their results to determine the identity of a...
University of Colorado
Solving a Mixed Up Problem
Begin the process of adding and subtracting spectra. Having a basic understanding of occultation events, pupils begin the pursuit to determine what a found atmosphere might contain. Learners work with two graphs and calculate what the...
University of Colorado
Enceladus, I Barely Knew You
Use spectral knowledge to make discoveries on a distant moon. Small groups gather information from images of one of Saturn's moons. The moon orbits within the E-ring made up of mainly water ice. Using information about the composition of...
University of Colorado
Star Light, Star Bright? Finding Remote Atmospheres
People might be able to breath there. Learners view a simulation of a planet passing in front of a star. Using data from occultations of planets with known types of atmospheres, scholars determine whether the simulated planet has an...
University of Colorado
Marvelous Martian Mineralogy
All you need is light. Groups use a reflectometer to find the reflectivity of specific chemical compounds. Learners compare the graphs of the reflectivity of the known compounds to Martian soil. Using the graph comparisons, scholars...
University of Colorado
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
Design a mission over the rainbow. Small groups spend several weeks together determining a mission related to spectroscopy. The teams build spectrographs and analyze the design to determine whether it will carry out the mission. At the...
University of Colorado
Designing an Open Spectrograph
Take the class over the rainbow. Pairs or small groups follow directions to create a spectrograph. The pupils measure the angles formed by the different colors of the spectrum along with calculating the lengths formed by the spectrum and...
University of Colorado
Using Spectral Data to Explore Saturn and Titan
Saturn is really far away, but knowledge of its composition is within reach. Future astronomers learn how scientists use spectra to remotely determine the chemical composition of a planet or moon. They try out this concept by analyzing...
University of Colorado
Patterns and Fingerprints
Human fingerprint patterns are the result of layers of skin growing at different paces, thus causing the layers to pull on each other forming ridges. Here, groups of learners see how patterns and fingerprints assist scientists in a...