Astronomy-> Project Star & Hands-on Science

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Cardboard Spectrometer Kit Now your students can see the absorption lines in the sun’s spectrum, the spectra of energized elements in gaseous states and the double yellow line of Mercury vapor in the spectrum of a fluorescent lamp. Light pollution can be studied by checking yellow street lights to see if they are high- or low-pressure sodium lamps. The spectrometer comes with a strip of film and a scale from which a color may be identified by wavelength in nanometers or photon energy in electron volts. The activities include: Observing what diffraction grating does

• calibrating the spectrometer • identifying various light sources and spectra of gaseous elements. The cardboard spectrometer kit comes unassembled and contains (10 of each unless noted): 1-inch plastic disks with diffraction grating • sets of cardboard top and bottom pieces • long and short Styrofoam pieces • cardboard support tubes • sets of 5 nuts and bolts • film strips (35mm) with slits and wavelength/photon energy scales • 1 set of instructions & activities.

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Do-It-Yourself Star Finder Kits Let your students make their own inexpensive, adjustable star chart that can be set for any time of night on any day of the year using only a pair of scissors and tape. They can compare the evening sky in all seasons. Students can also determine the signs of the zodiac by comparing the constellations visible after sunset and those visible before sunrise. The chart shows 41 constellations with lines to indicate the more obvious shapes and patterns. The star images are black on a white sky. See also the Heifetz Planisphere. Sold in packs of 10 kits: Each kit includes 2 cardboard sheets to make one 8.5-inch diameter star finder.

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College Astronomy Kit The three most popular activities — a celestial sphere, a refracting telescope, and a spectrometer — are packaged in a kit designed to aid students at the college/university level as a supplement to laboratory work or lecture, or as a home lab. Included is the 18-page Astronomical Instrument Kit for College Astronomy Manual with instructions for assembling and using each device and optional questions that can be assigned as homework or presented in class. The kit includes one of each of the following: a Celestial Sphere Kit a Refracting Telescope Kit with tubes a Cardboard Spectrometer Kit or a Plastic Spectrometer Astronomical Instrument Kit for College Astronomy Manual plus detailed