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Space Infrared Telescope Facility: Herschel Experiment

Space Infrared Telescope Facility: Herschel Experiment. Origins: Where did we come from? Are we alone?. Space Infrared Telescope Facility Exploring the universe in the infrared Planned launch: December 2002 Expected lifetime: 5 years. The Discovery of Invisible Light.

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Space Infrared Telescope Facility: Herschel Experiment

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  1. Space Infrared Telescope Facility: Herschel Experiment www.assignmentpoint.com

  2. Origins: Where did we come from? Are we alone? Space Infrared Telescope Facility • Exploring the universe in the infrared • Planned launch: December 2002 • Expected lifetime: 5 years www.assignmentpoint.com

  3. The Discovery of Invisible Light • A Fortunate Accident • In 1800, while placing thermometers in each color of the solar spectrum, Herschel places his “control” thermometer just outside the red end of the spectrum. • Result: the thermometer outside the visible spectrum registered the highest temperature! • The first detection of invisible light, which Herschel called infrared (“beneath red”) light. www.assignmentpoint.com

  4. The Herschel Experiment: A Classroom Activity Objective: To perform a version of the experiment of 1800, in which a form of radiation other than visible light was discovered by the famous astronomer Sir Frederick William Herschel. • Target Audience: Grades 7-9, easily extended to higher grades (10-12) www.assignmentpoint.com

  5. Herschel Experiment Set-Up • Place a sheet of white paper inside a cardboard box • Tape three thermometers together and place inside box • Cut a small notch in the top of the box and position a small glass prism so that the spectrum is projected inside the box • Arrange the thermometers so that one is just outside the red end of the spectrum, with no visible light falling on it Do not look directly at the Sun. www.assignmentpoint.com

  6. Results • The thermometers will register differences almost immediately. • After approx. 10 minutes, the thermometers show a 10 degree difference: • The highest temperature is found outside the visible spectrum, where infrared light is falling on the thermometers. www.assignmentpoint.com

  7. Team Roles The Herschel Experiment can be done in groups of 2 to 4. Team members can be assigned the following roles: • Box-keeper – makes sure the thermometers are positioned properly and holds box if necessary • Timekeeper – announces times for temperature measurements • Measurer – reads the temperatures of the thermometers • Recorder – records the temperatures on the observation chart www.assignmentpoint.com

  8. Helpful Hints For best results, do experiment in direct sunshine, when the Sun is high (noon). Putting the prism in the cut notch provides stability and easy rotation. Glass prisms work much better than plastic ones (this is Herschel’s original prism). Blacken the bulbs of the thermometers with black paint. Flat black spray paint works best, but even a black magic marker will yield results. The experiment WILL NOT WORK without the paint (Herschel soot-blackened his thermometers in the original experiment).

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