Using your spectroscope Next, practice with a nice bright light source, like a bright lightbulb or sunshine so that you know how to point and look through your spectroscope to see a vivid rainbow spectrum. If you have trouble, look carefully at the young woman using spectroscope in the last picture of the online instructions. Use the shadows and sunlight on her to see the angle of the sunlight and how she is pointing the spectroscope. You will know when you see a spectrum. It's unmistakable!! Also try holding your camera up to the viewing hole to photograph spectra. This may take steady hands and a bit of practice.

Finally, we get to the best part: find as many different spectra as you can from different light sources (preferably 3 or more), and photograph them with your camera. If you cannot photograph spectra, you may draw them and carefully count and label the lines of different colors like the sample below. Possible light sources include (but are not limited to) ? the Sun ? Incandescent light bulb ? Fluorescent light tube or panel or Compact Fluorescent (CFL) ? LED ? Halogen ? "Neon" signs or colored advertising signs (Some may be true neon gas tubes, others may be mercury tubes, and others may be plain old fluorescent tubes in colored coatings. Look for vivid red, pink and purple to see true neon and mercury.) ? Various forms of street light ? Heated electric or gas stove burner or oven element (but don't burn yourself)

Question

Dim sources will produce better spectra if you can view them in the dark, so try turning other lights out or looking at outdoor lights after sunset.

For 3 of the sources, start by making a prediction of what sort of spectrum you expect to see and why - continuous, line, or a combination of the two. Fill in your predictions in the table below:

Table I: Spectra Predictions Source (what you will Predicted Type (continuous, Reason You Expect This look at)