Solar Spectrum and sunspots

COSTA, ALEXANDER; GARCIA, B; MORENO, RICARDO

14 steps to the Universe

Antares

Lugar: Barcelona; Año: 2012; p. 92 - 100

This workshop includes a theoretical approach to the spectrum of sunlight that can be used in high school. The activities are appropriate for primary and secondary levels.The sun is the main source of almost all wavelengths of radiation. However, our atmosphere has high absorption of almost all non-visible wavelengths so we will only consider experiments in the visible spectrum, which is the part of the spectrum that is present in the daily lives of students. For the activities in non-visible wavelengths, see the corresponding workshop.First we will present the theoretical background followed by experimental demonstrations of all the concepts developed. These activities are simple experiments that teachers can reproduce in the classroom, introducing topics such as polarization, extinction, blackbody radiation, the continuous spectrum, the emission spectrum, the absorption spectrum (eg sunlight) and Fraunhofer lines.We also discuss differences between the areas of regular solar output and the emission of sunspots. Additionally, we mention the evidence of solar rotation and how that can be used for school projects