Exploring Spectra

The table below lists seven stars. Click on each of the star numbers in the table below to go to the Quick Look tool entry for that star (it will open in a new window). You will see a picture of the star, and its spectrum. Click on the spectrum for a larger view. Click on the “Quick Look” link in the left column to go back to the page with the image and spectrum.

Star
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Explore 1. Look at each star and its spectrum. It might help to print out all the spectra so you can compare them all.

Study the spectra carefully and answer the questions below.

Question 1. What do you notice about the spectra? What are the most important features they all have in common?

Question 2. What differences do you notice among the spectra? How do the features you identified in Question 1 change among the seven spectra?

Question 3. Do you notice a relationship between a star’s color and what its spectrum looks like?