Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Education

Thursday, 12 September 2024, 14:25   (S23)

Digitization of and Calculations on Historical Star Spectra with modern Equipment – Master Thesis on Historical Data in Cooperation with the Argelander Institute for Astronomy

Marvin zur Mühlen
University of Siegen

In 1904, Friedrich Küstner presented a method with which the astronomical unit could be determined from the spectrum of a star. His calculations were based on two series of spectra of the same star, taken at different times of the year, so that he could calculate the astronomical unit from the line shifts due to the Doppler effect. For this purpose, he recorded the spectra of various stars between 1904 and 1907. Some of these spectra have not been analyzed to date. In a recently completed master's thesis, one of these sets of historical star spectra was analyzed with the possibilities of modern technology. The presentation outlines the methodological steps that were taken to first digitize the historical spectra photographs provided and then evaluate the digital image. At the end of the analysis, the astronomical unit was determined in the realm of possibility. The presentation will end by showing how the historical spectra could be used in didactic material for physics students studying to become teachers and how they could be linked to a spectrum that was created using modern methods.