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Spectroscopy and the composition of stars

Jon Chase demonstrates a spectrometer made from a cardboard tube and an old CD to young people in a shopping centre. They observe how white light is split into a spectrum of different coloured light. Jon describes how different elements absorb and emit light of specific wavelengths or colours. He explains how this can be used to identify which elements are present in distant stars by analysing the spectrum of radiation coming from these stars.

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4 minutes

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