Stellar & Exoplanetary Spectroscopy

Learning to Read the Light

Tonight, you will learn how astronomers read the light from stars to measure their temperature, composition, rotation and much more, plus the atmospheres of distant exoplanets.

We start by explaining how and why atoms absorb and emit light at specific wavelengths before discussing how a prism splits light into its various colours to determine a star’s many properties. This will include a demonstration of a prism and calculating our Sun’s surface temperature, plus images and step-by-step analysis of spectra taken with a local amateur spectrograph. Our discussions will then delve deeper into measuring magnetic fields and surface gravity of stars using this simple technique, before discussing the process and frustrations with analysing the atmospheres of planets beyond our solar system.

Come along and see how you can take some of these measurements yourself. This session is for everyone, from beginners to experienced members, who want to learn more about reading the light from stars and other objects.