[Leeple Stays]

We recently conducted an experiment where we viewed the emission spectrum of mercury and hyrdogen, however we used mercury to calibrate our spectroscopes. Could anyone show me the reasoning for using mercury to calibrate? Would other elements work?

[renge ishyo]

To calibrate a spectroscope you have to know the wavelengths of the spectrum lines for the element you are using to calibrate and the wavelengths for mercury are known quite well. You don't have to calibrate using mercury per say; you can use any spectrum where you know the wavelengths of clearly identifiable wavelength lines.

[Leeple Stays]

So calibration isn't independent of the spectroscope, it is based on if you can clearly see the lines?

[renge ishyo]

I'm not sure what the first part of your statement means, but yeah you need to be able to clearly locate individual lines and assign a known wavelength to such lines in order to calibrate the instrument.