Grating Spectroscopes and How to Use Them is written for amateur astronomers who are just getting into this field of astronomy. Transmission grating spectroscopes look like simple filters and are designed to screw into place on the eyepiece of a telescope for visual use, or into the camera adapter for digicam or CCD imaging. Using the most popular commercially made filter gratings – Rainbow Optics (US) and Star Analyzer (UK) – as examples, this book provides the reader with information on how to set up and use the grating one needs to obtain stellar spectrograms. It also discusses several methods on analyzing the results. This book is written in an easy to read style, perfect for getting started on the first night using the spectroscope, and specifically showing how the simple transmission filter is used on the camera or telescope. No heavy mathematics or formulas are involved, and there are many practical hints and tips – something that is almost essential to success when starting out. This book helps readers to achieve quick results, and by following the worked examples, they can successfully carry out basic analysis of the spectra.

Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs is a complete guide for amateur astronomers who are looking for a new challenge. After a brief overview of the development of spectroscopes and an introduction to the theory of stellar spectra, the book goes on to examine the various types of spectroscopes available to amateurs. Next, practical sections address all aspects of setting-up and using various types of commercially-available and home-built spectroscopes. A final part gives detailed instructions for the design and construction of three different spectroscopes, along with the necessary design theory (minimal math). The home-made spectroscopes have performance capabilities near or equal to commercial units but are constructed using basic hand tools for a fraction of the cost! This up-to-date practical spectroscopy book will enable amateur astronomers to develop the skills and equipment needed to prepare scientifically acceptable spectra data, and to make a valuable contribution to ProAm projects.

This book contains everything an amateur astronomer needs to know to begin observing whilst going relatively deeply into the subject for those who are already involved. Covers a very wide range of available equipment, from simple DIY spectroscopes to the most expensive commercially-made instruments. Describes basic principles so that the reader understands how to analyse the spectra he/she sees or records. Contributions by leading amateurs astronomers from the USA and Europe.

A reference for astronomers and historians on astronomical spectroscopy, from the discovery of spectral lines through to the year 2000.

Astronomical spectrographs analyse light emitted by the Sun, stars, galaxies and other objects in the Universe, and have been used in astronomy since the early nineteenth century. This book provides a comprehensive account of spectrographs from an historical perspective, from their theory and development over the last two hundred years, to the recent advances of the early twenty-first century. The author combines the theoretical principles behind astronomical spectrograph design with their historical development. Spectrographs of all types are considered, with prism, grating or grism dispersing elements. Included are Cassegrain, coudé, prime focus, échelle, fibre-fed, ultraviolet, nebular, objective prism, multi-object instruments and those which are ground-based, on rockets and balloons or in space. The book contains several tables listing the most significant instruments, around 900 references, and over 150 images, making it an indispensable reference for professional astronomers, graduate students, advanced amateur astronomers, and historians of science.

This book presents a detailed pedagogical account of the equation of state and its applications in several important and fast growing topics in theoretical physics, chemistry and engineering. This book is the storv of the analysis of starlight by astronomical spectroscopy. It describes the development of the subject from the time of Joseph Fraunhofer, who, in 1814, used a telescope-mounted prism to observe the spectral light emitted from several bright stars. He discovered that light was missing at certain colours (wavelengths) in the starlight, and these so-called spectral lines were subsequently shown to hold clues to the nature of the stars themselves. The book explains how the classification of stars using their line spectra developed into a major branch of astronomy whilst new methods in astrophysics made possible the approximate quantitative analysis of spectral lines in the 1920s and 1930s. After the Second World War these techniques were considerably improved when computers were programmed to model the structure of the outer layers of stars. Basic concepts in spectroscopy and spectral analysis are also covered and. finally. Dr Hearnshaw comments on the stellar spectroscopy of some individual star.

A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners.