LIGHT! SPECTRA! ACTION!

Much of what we know about the universe
comes from messages found in light.

Welcome to one of the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum's most popular interactive exhibits. Why are such "physics class experiments" in an astronomy museum? We wouldn't know most of what we have learned in the past century if we didn't know about the properties of light. Most of what we measure in distant stars and galaxies we measure from heat and gas signatures. Let's play!

 

Visit our virtual exhibits

LIGHT ISLAND		See how different shapes, colors and types of filters affect colors and patterns of light waves.
SPECTRA		Learn about gasses and their unique signatures.
Inside White Light		White light is more than you think. Play with filters and learn about the differences between white on the color wheel and white in light.

 

 

All images copyright 1999, The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum.
This page, including all components (writing, graphics, photography
and videography), was designed and executed by Lisa Schuyler Jewell.
Any inquiries about the Adler site should be directed to webmaster@adlerplanetarium.org