Amateur Spectroscopy
It is not hard to view spectra of astronomical objects. A simple, homemade DVD spectrograph can be used to view solar spectra. Note that looking at the Sun directly or by reflection can result in temporary or permanent loss of vision. Proper equipment must be used, and children should be supervised.
Recently, there has been a resurgence in amateur astronomical spectroscopy. It is possible to use a digital camera or telescope to easily view spectra of astronomical objects.
Inexpensive diffraction gratings like the Paton Hawksley Star Analyser or the Rainbow Optics Star Spectroscope can be used to split the starlight. Software like RSpec can be used to plot the curves.
An excellent introduction to amateur spectroscopy is Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs, published in 2011.
Also, Sky & Telescope Magazine has produced an excellent video interview that explains how to get started.
Read more about this topic: Astronomical Spectroscopy
Famous quotes containing the word amateur:
“The true gardener then brushes over the ground with slow and gentle hand, to liberate a space for breath round some favourite; but he is not thinking about destruction except incidentally. It is only the amateur like myself who becomes obsessed and rejoices with a sadistic pleasure in weeds that are big and bad enough to pull, and at last, almost forgetting the flowers altogether, turns into a Reformer.”
—Freya Stark (1893–1993)