How can spectra tell us what things are made of?
Stars and planets are too far away for a human to touch, yet we know what they are made of. Spectra make this possible! Let’s investigate how.Solar System Composition
Spectrum Tool. Investigate the reflection spectrum of a non-Earth Solar System object of your choice.
- Under Source 1, select one of the reflection spectra. Adjust the wavelength stretch as needed to bring the spectrum into view.
- Under normalize data, choose visible while investigating the object's color. (Switch the normalization back to all before moving on.)
- Compare spectral features between your chosen object's reflection spectrum and the reference spectra to identify at least one material in your object's composition.
Spectrum Notebook. Answer these questions in your Notebook.
- Which object’s reflection spectrum did you choose?
- What color do you expect this object to appear based on its spectrum?
- Identify 2 characteristics of the object that you can know based on its spectrum and explain how you know. (One of the characteristics can be its color if you describe the evidence clearly. Another characteristic might be what atoms or molecules are present.)
Source 1:
Brightness 
Wavelength (microns) Source 2:
Brightness Wavelength (microns)