A crossed electron-gas beam system coupled to a VUV spectrometer has been used to investigate the dissociation of thymine into excited atomic fragments in the impact energy range from threshold to 400 eV. The main features in the spectrum are the H Lyman series lines. The relative emission cross section of Lyman-α has a broad maximum at an energy of 160 eV. The probability of extracting excited C, N or O atoms from the parent molecule is shown to be very small. Possible dissociation channels and excitation mechanisms in the parent molecule are discussed.