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Solar Spectrum III - Notebook Template

The document details observations of the solar absorption spectrum, identifying dark lines in the spectrum and measuring their wavelengths using both analog and digital spectrometers. It compares the solar spectrum with emission spectra from incandescent, hydrogen, and other lamps, noting specific wavelengths and their relationships. The conclusion connects the observed dark lines in the solar spectrum to the emission lines of elements like hydrogen and helium, suggesting these elements contribute to the composition of the solar atmosphere.

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Eduardo Ribeiro
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9 views7 pages

Solar Spectrum III - Notebook Template

The document details observations of the solar absorption spectrum, identifying dark lines in the spectrum and measuring their wavelengths using both analog and digital spectrometers. It compares the solar spectrum with emission spectra from incandescent, hydrogen, and other lamps, noting specific wavelengths and their relationships. The conclusion connects the observed dark lines in the solar spectrum to the emission lines of elements like hydrogen and helium, suggesting these elements contribute to the composition of the solar atmosphere.

Uploaded by

Eduardo Ribeiro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Solar Absorption Spectrum III:

Fraunhofer Lines
Date: 2/27/25
Lab Section / TA Name: Lab 4 / Lambert

Names:

Group Member: Caleb Wade

Group Member: Rocco Fama

Group Member: Eduardo Ribeiro

Group Member: Hayden Canada-Hunt

Observations of the solar spectrum


With the analog spectrometer… What do you see when you look at light from the sky? Can you
identify any dark lines? If so, where? Is it possible to make precision measurements of the
position/wavelength of these lines? (You don’t need to do this with the analog spectrometer…
we’re just asking how you would do it.)

When we look at light from the sky, we receive an emission spectrum with almost the entire
visible light range. However, there are multiple dark lines within the green and blue segments of
the spectrum.

We can determine the wavelengths of these lines using the same method we used in last
week's lab. That is, we can determine the angles at which these dark lines occur, and plug them
into the equation λ = d(sin(θ))/m to achieve wavelength.

Blue Wavelength
D = 1.67 x 10-6
Initial (zero) angle = 261 degrees 49 minutes = 261.82 degrees
Blue angle = 244 degrees 42 minutes = 244.7 degrees
Net angle = 261.82 - 244.7 = 17.12
M=1

Since λ = d(sin(θ))/m
λblue = (1.67 x 10-6)(sin(16.42))/1 = 492 nm

With the digital spectrometer… What do you see when you look at light from the sky? Can you
identify any dark lines? If so, where? Is it possible to make precision measurements of the
position/wavelength of these lines? Save a picture of your intensity plot and include it here.

When we look at light from the sky, we see a spectrum given by:

The dark lines can be determined by the dips in the graph. Such dips occur at wavelengths of
around 440 nm, 480 nm, 520 nm. We expected a dip at around 650 nm, but we did not see one
there.

Given the comprehensiveness of the graph, we cannot determine the precise wavelengths of
these dark lines. We must estimate them by looking at the graph.

Making sense of the spectrum


Keep collecting spectra of different sources. Record your observations, measure wavelength
values, and include figures produced by the software.
Incandescent lamp spectrum
What do you see when you look at the incandescent bulb? How does this match up (if at all)
with what you saw in the solar spectrum?

The incandescent bulb has an emission spectrum that spans all visible light wavelengths.
However, within that spectrum, there are visible dips at wavelengths 570 nm, 600 nm, and 690
nm.

Peak wavelengths:

Hydrogen emission spectrum


What do you see when you look at the hydrogen (“deuterium”) discharge lamp? Which colors
can you identify? At what positions do these colors appear? Do your observations match the
expected wavelengths?

When we look at the hydrogen discharge lamp, we get an emission spectrum:


This emission spectrum has three distinct peaks. These peaks occur at the visible light
wavelengths of around 440 nm, 480 nm, and 660 nm. The first two peaks match the dips in the
sunlight absorption spectrum. However, we did not see a dip at 660 nm in the sunlight
absorption spectrum, even though there should have been one.

Other emission spectra


What additional emission lines can you identify from the other lamps in the room? Do any of
these lines match absorption lines you saw in the solar absorption spectrum?

For other emission spectra, we recorded the emissions from sodium, mercury,
Peak wavelengths

Mercury

Mercury Peak Wavelengths: 410 nm, 430 nm, 550 nm, 580 nm
Sodium

Sodium Peak Wavelengths: 640 nm, 740 nm, 750 nm, 760 nm

Helium

Helium Peak Wavelengths: 390 nm, 450 nm, 500 nm, 590 nm, 670 nm, 710 nm
Argon

Argon Peak Wavelengths: 690 nm, 710 nm, 740 nm, 750 nm, 760 nm, 770 nm, 800 nm, 820
nm, 840 nm

Conclusion
How do your observations of different emission and absorption spectra relate to the solar
absorption spectrum? Can you connect any particular dark bands you observed to emission
lines you measured? What does this mean about the composition of the solar atmosphere?
In our lab, we recorded the emission spectra of the sun’s constituent elements. As a result, we
were able to determine the elements that represented the dips in the solar emission spectrum.
Most clearly, hydrogen and mercury emitted wavelengths of around 430 nm—one of the sun’s
dark lines. Hydrogen also emitted a wavelength of 480 nm and 650 nm—two other wavelengths
that are dips in the sun’s spectrum. From this, we can extract that the sun’s constituent
elements cause the dips (dark lines) in the solar emission spectrum. In a more comprehensive
and precise experiment, we could determine the exact elements by recording exact
wavelengths.

For example, when we mirror the helium and solar emission spectra, the peaks from the helium
spectrum align with the dips in the solar spectrum. These occur at wavelengths around 480 nm
and 650 nm, meaning that helium causes absorption at these wavelengths.

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