Student Exploration: Star Spectra ALL ANSWERS 100% FALL-2021 SOLUTION CORRECT GUARANTEED GRADE A+

Vocabulary: absorption spectrum, binary star, blueshift, Cepheid variable, emission spectrum, giant star, nebula, redshift, spectrum, star Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. What happens when light goes through a prism? Light bends and the visible spectrum showing the colors of the rainbow are visible. This band of colors is called a spectrum. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet 2. A rainbow is an example of a spectrum. What is the sequence of colors in a rainbow? Gizmo Warm-up The interior of a star produces a continuous spectrum of light, like a rainbow. Cooler gases in the outer layers of the star absorb certain wavelengths of light, causing dark lines to appear in the spectrum. The resulting absorption spectrum can tell astronomers a great deal about the star. 1. On the Star Spectra Gizmo™, turn on Show labels. Select star 1 to see its absorption spectrum. How many lines do you see in the spectrum? 10 2. Drag the Hydrogen spectrum next to the Star spectrum so that the edges line up. Do some of the lines on the two spectra match up? Yes, 4 of them line up. 3. Drag the Helium spectrum next to the Star spectrum. Do some lines match? Yes they all match. 4. Try out the other available spectra. Do any others have lines that match? No, some have some lines matching but not the majority of them.5. Which elements have contributed to the spectrum of star 1? Hydrogen and Helium, Note: The elements in a star’s spectrum do not necessarily reflect what the star is made of. The absorption spectrum is mostly determined by the surface temperature of the star.