Light and Optics

Colours and Filters

Student Question Sheet
(Advanced)
Light and Optics

Author: Sarah Roberts

 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

Light and Optics

Introduction
This worksheet contains questions and activities which will test your knowledge and
understanding of the project, ‘Light and Optics’. It is assumed that you have carried out the
project as given in the document, ‘Light and Optics- Activity Instructions’ before completing this
worksheet.

Colour and Filters

If you have ever seen a rainbow in the sky, you will have seen nature splitting the white light from
the Sun into a colourful arrangement. White light is made up of a range of colours (a spectrum) -
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. However, these different parts of the light are
only visible to us if we either split the white light somehow, or block parts of the light to only allow
certain colours through.

Splitting light

White light can be split into its different colours by using a prism (a triangular piece of transparent
material such as glass or perspex), as shown in the diagram below.
Light and Optics

The white light which shines on one side of the prism is split into its separate colours by the
prism - the white light has been dispersed into the visible spectrum of colours. This happens
because as the light enters the prism, it is refracted by differing amounts. The red wavelengths
are refracted the least, whilst the violet ones are refracted the most. Then, as the light passes out
of the prism into the air again, each wavelength of light is refracted once more, making the
separate colours even more visible.

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

1. Draw the path of the light as it travels through the two prisms in the diagram below. Explain
what is happening.

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2. The prism experiment described above, is comparable to the formation of rainbows after a
rainstorm.

a). In your own words describe how a rainbow forms.

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

Blocking light

Filters can be used to block particular colours and only allow one colour of light through. For
example, if you shone white light on a red filter, only the red part of the light would get through the
filter. Similarly, if you shone white light on a blue filter, only the blue part of the white light would
get through.

1. a). The diagram below shows white light shining onto a green filter, followed by a red filter.
Label the colour of light which passes through the green filter at point A.

b). What would you see at point B? Explain your answer.

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Light and Optics

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2. What would happen if you shone blue light onto a red filter? Explain your answer.

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

The Faulkes Telescopes have many different filters which can be used when imaging objects in
an observing session.

IT OPPORTUNITY

1. A Flash demonstration of the filters in the Faulkes Telescopes and the CCD can be viewed
from the colour imaging project at:

Education> Activities & Projects> Astronomical Imaging> Basic Imaging>CCD &

Filters.swf

One of the filters which can be used to produce a colour image of an object is the ‘Colour’ filter.
However, this is not a single filter which makes a colour image - it works by first taking an image
of your chosen object through the red filter on the CCD camera, then taking a second image
through the green filter, then a third image through the blue filter. These 3 red, green and blue
images are then combined to make a colour image. Between taking the 3 images there is a gap
of a couple of seconds whilst the wheel of filters on the telescope moves to put the next filter in
place.

In a galaxy, the regions where stars form tend to be bluer than average, and the regions which
contain older stars are redder than average.

1. What filter would you use on the Faulkes Telescopes if you wanted to look at star formation
regions in a galaxy?

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Light and Optics

2. What filter would you use if you were interested in finding regions which had a lot of older
stars?

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

3. The Faulkes Telescope image below shows an asteroid moving across the sky whilst a colour
image exposure was being taken.

a) why does the asteroid appear as a streak of red, green and blue?

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b) why are the stars white in this colour image?

Light and Optics

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c) from the information above, and looking at this image, can you say which way the asteroid
is moving? Explain your answer.

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

4. Below is a colour image of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, taken with the Faulkes Telescope North in
Hawaii during a time when the moon was full.

a). Is the Moon a source of, or a reflector of light?

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The Moon, when full, reflects a lot of the blue light from the Sun. As a result, any images of faint
objects taken with the Faulkes Telescopes around this time have a lot of stray blue light in them.
This can be seen in the image below as a blue border.

Also shown below are the three separate red, green and blue images which make up the colour
image above.
Light and Optics

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

b). Why is the image taken through the Blue filter, so faint?

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c). If you were planning on observing a faint object when the moon is full, which filter
would be best to use to make sure you get the most detail?

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d). When would be the best time of the month to observe faint objects with the
Faulkes Telescopes?

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Light and Optics

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 Light and Optics- Faulkes Telescope Project

5. Fill the crossword below by answering the clues.

Across Down

1. White light is made up of 1. This light is made up of

several of these. several wavelengths.

2. Light passing from one 2. This wavelength of light is

medium to another is refracted the least as it
__________. passes through a glass
prism.

3. The Sun ________ light. 3. Objects which produce

their own light are known as
________ of light.

4. The splitting of light as it 4. A piece of apparatus which

passes through, for example, absorbs some wavelengths
a glass prism. but lets particular ones
through.

5. A green filter does this to 5. Nature’s result of splitting

red light. light.

6. As the Moon does this to

sunlight, we can see the
Moon.

2. 4.

1. 3.
Light and Optics

5. 6.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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