Spectra
Even though light often looks white, it is made up of lots of different colours all added together.
Astronomers often want to know exactly what colours of light there are coming from a star or galaxy. To measure this, they use an instrument called a spectroscope. These have prisms, or gratings, inside them which separate the light. They then record the data.
Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin
Occupation
Astronomer
Year born
1900
Research Areas
Stars, Spectroscopy
- Early Life
Cecilia was born in Wendover, England. Her mother was interested in lots of different topics like nature, music and theatre. Cecilia spent lots of time reading in her home's library.
At the age of 19, she won a scholarship to Cambridge University to study science. During that time, Cecilia went to a talk given by Arthur Eddington. Arthur talked about his recent trip to Africa to observe the stars near a solar eclipse. This sparked Cecilia's interest in astronomy.
Classify a Star
Ricardo Schiavon
Credit: ARI/LJMU
Occupation: Astrophysicist
Research Areas: Galaxy formation, Observational astronomy
"I consider myself extremely lucky to be where I am, do what I do, and to be surrounded by so many amazing people here in Liverpool."
Make Your Own Spectroscope
Spectroscopy involves splitting light into its different wavelengths. Each chemical element emits or absorbs a unique spectrum&n