Jerry, Thanks for the tips. For pen lamps, I was thinking professional calibration lights - http://uvp.com/penraylightsources.html which cost several hundred dollars.

From other newsgroups, it looks like the low-cost solution is a garden variety compact flourescent bulb, some of which have distinct spectral lines (spectral graphs are below the screen fold) -

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/spectra7.htm Since I am using a slitless stellar grating, such extended sources cannot be used directly. One suggestion was to put the light in a box with a low-cost slit installed in one end. Then the light source should produce a specturm when held in front of telescope equipped with a slitless stellar grating. Thanks again, Kurt