I read somewhere most of the lines in the blue and violet were due to the gazillion transitions that iron's electrons have.
Click on the above image for a larger version.
Interestingly, in the camera there is more spectral detail in the red channel than the blue. (
This is probably related to the fact that most dye filters will transmit light not only of the design wavelength but also double the wavelength--so a blue filter with a peak wavelength of 450nm will also transmit around 900nm.) Edit: While this effect occurs, it wouldn't appear in this instance. It should appear in the near infrared spectrum. After looking at the histogram it is clear the blue channel is totally saturated (aka overexposed). I bet the camera chooses the exposure mostly on what the green channel is seeing.
This is another project: I have the entire solar spectrum from slightly UV-ward of the calcium H & K lines at 400nm to somewhere near 750-800nm in the near-infrared imaged through my spectrograph and the Ryerson telescope. I want to combine the images into a long continuous image. My own solar spectrum.
Also see
The Solar Spectrum -- Magnesium Triplet
Terrestrial Oxygen Red
The Sodium Doublet
