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9th grade What a star's light shows: spectra and color worksheet

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What a star's light shows: spectra and color

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Hydrogen, 656.3, 486.1, 434.0, 410.2; helium, 587.6; sodium, 589.0, 589.6; calcium, 393.4, 396.8. A star shows dark lines at 656.3, 486.1, 434.0, 589.0 and 589.6 nm, and its light peaks near 480 nm. What can Esme conclude?

    • Hydrogen and sodium; surface about 1,400 K
    • Hydrogen and sodium; surface about 6,000 K
    • No hydrogen or sodium; surface about 6,000 K
    • Hydrogen and helium; surface about 6,000 K

  2. A gas cloud's spectrum shows bright lines at 656.3 and 486.1 nm on a dark background. What is the cloud, by Jun's reading?

    • Cool hydrogen gas sitting in front of a bright star
    • Hot, thin hydrogen glowing on its own
    • Gas that contains no hydrogen
    • A hot, dense solid

  3. Hydrogen, 656.3, 486.1, 434.0, 410.2; helium, 587.6; sodium, 589.0, 589.6; calcium, 393.4, 396.8. A star shows a dark line at 587.6 nm but none at 589.0 or 589.6 nm. Which element is it, by Kira's reading?

    • Neither, since dark lines mean missing
    • Sodium, since 587.6 is close to 589
    • Both sodium and helium
    • Helium, not sodium

  4. Luz's friend says dark lines mean a star is missing those elements. Which response is best?

    • Disagree: elements in the outer gas absorb those wavelengths
    • Agree: the elements are hidden in the core
    • Agree: dark means nothing is there
    • Disagree: dark lines are bright lines seen from far away

  5. Milo's cousin says red stars are hottest, like a red-hot stove coil. Which response is best?

    • Disagree: red stars are coolest; hotter ones glow white, then blue
    • Agree: red light peaks at the shortest wavelength
    • Agree: red is the hottest color
    • Disagree: color tells nothing about temperature

  6. Noah's friend says we cannot know what stars are made of without visiting them. Which response is best (NASA)?

    • Agree: starlight carries no information
    • Disagree: the color of a star's light alone tells us the elements
    • Disagree: their lines match elements measured in labs
    • Agree: we need samples to know

  7. Peak = 2,898,000 nm·K ÷ temperature; stars at 4,000, 6,000 and 20,000 K. Which of these stars peaks in the ultraviolet: 4,000 K, 6,000 K or 20,000 K, by Ren's math?

    • The 4,000 K star
    • No star; their peaks stay in visible light
    • The 20,000 K star, peaking near 145 nm
    • The 6,000 K star, like the Sun

  8. The Sun peaks near 502 nm. Another star peaks at 251 nm. How does its temperature compare, by Tala's math?

    • The same as the Sun's
    • About twice the Sun's, near 11,500 K
    • About half the Sun's
    • About 4 times the Sun's

  9. Star P is blue with strong helium lines. Star Q is yellow with strong sodium and calcium lines. What can Zee say?

    • Both are the same temperature
    • P lacks sodium, since its strip shows no sodium lines
    • Q is hotter, since it shows more lines
    • P is hotter; each spectrum reveals elements in its outer gas

  10. The Sun's dark calcium lines at 393.4 and 396.8 nm are very strong. What does this show, by Ari's reading?

    • Those lines belong to hydrogen
    • The Sun has no calcium
    • Calcium in the Sun's outer gas glows brightly at those wavelengths
    • Calcium in the Sun's outer gas absorbs those wavelengths
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9th grade What a star's light shows: spectra and color worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

What a star's light shows: spectra and color. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell continuous, bright-line and dark-line spectra apart and say which setup makes each.
  • I can match a star's lines to elements using NIST wavelengths, matching the whole pattern.
  • I can use peak wavelength = 2,898,000 nm·K ÷ T both ways, and link color to temperature.

Standard: supports HS-ESS1-2

Words to know

spectrum: Light spread out by wavelength, like a rainbow

absorption line: A dark line where gas absorbs one wavelength

emission line: A bright line where hot gas gives off one wavelength

nanometer: One billionth of a meter; visible light is about 400 to 700 nm

Wien's law: Peak wavelength equals 2,898,000 nm·K divided by temperature

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the kinds of spectra. A hot dense object gives a smooth rainbow; hot thin gas gives bright lines; cooler gas in front of a hot source gives dark lines.

Your child matched an element from one line or a near match. Each element has its own whole pattern of lines at exact wavelengths (NIST).

Your child swapped star colors and temperatures. Blue stars are the hottest and red stars the coolest.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with what a star's light shows: spectra and color?

Your child mixed up the kinds of spectra. A hot dense object gives a smooth rainbow; hot thin gas gives bright lines; cooler gas in front of a hot source gives dark lines.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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