Star Spectra Science: Using Balloons and Buttons to Model Spectroscopy Documents

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Star Spectra Science: Using Balloons and Buttons to Model Spectroscopy Documents

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Star Spectra Science: Using Balloons and Buttons to Model Spectroscopy

written by Rebecca E. Vieyra
published by the American Association of Physics Teachers

This lesson blends physics, math, and space science as students explore the spectra of stars using a physical model composed of balloons and buttons. It was inspired by "Balloons and Button Spectroscopy: A Hands-On Approach to Light and Matter", an article by Joseph Ribaudo, published in The Physics Teacher magazine. The lesson initiates with the task of finding wavelength (in nanometers) and corresponding energy (in eV) for each color in the visible spectrum. Next, students identify energy transitions and corresponding color for energy-level diagrams. In the next phase, they pop the balloons and sort buttons by color, plotting the color incidence on a histogram. They will then identify peak emission wavelengths for each balloon "star" and calculate an estimated surface temperature for each.