Aston's first mass spectrograph, c. 1919.

Made:
1918-1925 in Cambridge
designer:
Francis William Aston
Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete Glass discharge tube for original mass spectrograph by F. W Glass discharge tube for original mass spectrograph by F. W

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Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Professor FW Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Glass discharge tube for original mass spectrograph by F. W
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Glass discharge tube for original mass spectrograph by F. W
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Prof. F.W. Aston's original Aston Mass-Spectrograph complete with magnet

The first mass spectograph was designed by Cambridge scientist F W Aston (1877-1945). It could separate isotopes, which are chemically identical atoms with different masses. The spectograph's globe contained a compound of the material to be tested and an electric current then knocked electrons from the material's atoms. Aston worked with J J Thomson (1856-1940) to show that over 50 elements were made up of atoms of different atomic masses but the same atomic numbers.

Details

Category:
Nuclear Physics
Object Number:
1927-1085
Materials:
tube: glass, magnet: copper wire and iron and table: wood
Measurements:
overall (including display table): 1330 x 1380 x 810 mm
type:
mass spectrograph
credit:
Prof. F.W. Aston