A spectroscope splits light into its component colors, typically with a prism or a finely ruled grating, and lets an observer measure the exact wavelengths present. Joseph von Fraunhofer built an early precision version around 1814 to study dark lines in the Sun's spectrum, and Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff showed in 1859 that each chemical element produces its own distinctive set of spectral lines, turning the instrument into a way to identify what a glowing object, including a distant star, is made of without ever touching it. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Invented YearSourced to the subject's own accountDated to Joseph von Fraunhofer's precision spectroscope of around 1814; Bunsen and Kirchhoff's 1859 work established its use for chemical identification rather than inventing the instrument itself. MeasuresSourced to the subject's own accountThe irradiance (intensity) of light as a function of wavelength, or other properties such as polarization state. 1 Operating PrincipleSourced to the subject's own accountSeparates light into its component wavelengths with a diffraction grating in modern instruments, or a prism in the original design, read by a photodetector. 1 Operating RangeSourced to the subject's own accountAs a class, spectroscopes span from gamma rays and X-rays into the far infrared, though any one instrument is built for a specific band. 1 Open Questions
ResolutionNot stated as a numeric figure in the cited source.
No resolution figure given. Retry without SourceSlug after ambiguous duplicate citation rejection (FactQueueId 884). Classification
Instrument ClassSourced to the subject's own accountSpectroscopic Instrument 1 Connections
Invented By
Credited jointly with Robert Bunsen for the 1859 development of practical spectral analysis.
Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen
Built a precision spectroscope around 1814 to test the optical glass he manufactured, discovering hundreds of dark absorption lines in the sun's spectrum now called Fraunhofer lines.
Source Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
Credited jointly with Gustav Kirchhoff for the 1859 development of practical spectral analysis.
Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen
Precursor To
Visual spectroscopy with the spectroscope preceded the added photometric measurement of the spectrophotometer.
Source Spectrophotometer (Britannica)
Used In
Source Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
Source Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
The variable measured is most often the irradiance of the light but could also...be the polarization state.
Spectroscopes section
Modern spectroscopes generally use a diffraction grating, a movable slit, and some kind of photodetector
Introduction
Spectrometers may operate over a wide range of non-optical wavelengths, from gamma rays and X-rays into the far infrared.
Lede, instrument class
A spectroscope splits light into its component colors, typically with a prism or a finely ruled grating, and lets an observer measure the exact wavelengths present.
- Used In: Physics
- Used In: Chemistry
View the Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)
Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen, Annalen der Physik und der Chemie, 1860- Invented By: Gustav Kirchhoff
- Invented By: Robert Bunsen
View the Source Spectrophotometer (Britannica)
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