The Rainbow and the Stars

The Rainbow and the Stars is a short film about the science of spectroscopy written and produced by Jim Royal. The film is a labor of love: the product of a lifelong interest in astronomy, and a passion to explain it to the world.

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Visit the official web site for The Rainbow and the Stars.

The study of the rainbow, and of optics in general, changed the way we understand the universe and ourselves. Once we believed that the sky was a realm of perfection and magic. Now we understand that we are part of the universe, that there is no real dividing line between Earth and space.

The patterns of coloured light generated by chemical elements — called emission spectra and absorption spectra — revealed that both we and the stars are made of the same stuff. And this discovery just might be the most profound and awe-inspriring discovery in human history.

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