A spectrograph — sometimes called a spectroscope or spectrometer — breaks the light from a single material into its component colors the way a prism splits white light into a rainbow. It records this spectrum, which allows scientists to analyze the light and discover properties of the material interacting with it.

How does a spectroscope work?

A spectroscope or spectrometer splits light into the wavelengths that make it up. Early spectroscopes used prisms that split the light by refraction — bending the light waves as they passed through the glass. ... Also, each element absorbs light at specific wavelengths, called an absorption spectrum.

What is a spectroscope and what is its function?

Spectroscopes are instruments that allow scientists to determine the chemical makeup of a visible source of light. The spectroscope separates the different colors of light so that scientists can discover the composition of an object.