DIY Spectroscopy

To make this spectroscope you need to download this pdf file.  If you wish you may also download the Italian or French version.
Print this sheet on a A4 paper.

You will need

1) Pair of scissors
2) A sharp knife
3) Some glue (a glue stick will do)
4) A black card sheet
5) A DVD or CD

The first step is to glue the printout on a sheet of black card sheet.  And press the sheet so that it becomes flat.

After the sheet is properly glued

Write your name on the card sheet.

This is particularly helpful if you as a science teacher would like to get lots of children make their spectroscope.

Now using a pair of scissors cut the sheet along the external lines.

And the using a sharp knife - cut away the window at  "Eye" and "towards the light"

Use a ruler to make a straight cuts

With this step - all the cuts are over -

we start gluing the spectroscope

We now glue the four past of the spectroscope

First apply glue on the side marked A' and B'
This should be done on the 'white' side.

The glue the base - it is to be done on the 'black side'

We are almost there now -

make two folds at 'eye' and insert a CD or DVD.

You may insert a small piece of the DVD/CD

Your spectroscope is ready

Now what remains is to use it -  it will not take too much of time for you get used to see spectra.

Hold the spectroscope horizontally in the direction of the source in such a way that 'towards the light' window is towards the source of light.  Please eye at the eye window and now slowly lift the spectroscope with eye fixed to the eye window.

Soon you will see the spectrum.

It is possible to see the absorption lines, called Fraunhofer Lines in the solar spectrum.

By making the entrance slit narrow and then pointing the spectroscope you can observe the fraunhofer lines.

Watch this movie  - first it shows the general setup for taking a movie of sodium spectrum.

The source was common table salt stuck to a wire mesh with some drop of water and now burning in the flame of a candle.

First you will see a normal continuous spectrum of the candle flame and then in between you will see sharp sodium lines. I have placed the spectroscope on a stand and replaced eye with a simple digital camera.