Here's a great Zoom presentation!
The video below is from a live Zoom talk that Tom gave on the iTelescope YouTube channel. This 45-minute presentation introduces you to spectroscopy, offering a solid overview of how to get started and the science you can do.
Tom was a Contributing Editor at Sky & Telescope magazine for ten years and has delivered this talk to over 300 astronomy clubs and conferences. His experience, along with having helped thousands of amateur astronomers get started in the field, makes this presentation lively, informative, and full of helpful insights.
Would you like Tom to give this talk to your club? See link for more information.
Other links
- RSpec Forum: Our online forum is a great place to ask questions about RSpec or spectroscopy in general. The members are experts and love to answer questions.
- If you have questions about what equipment you need to get started, check out our Getting Started page.
- RSpec comes with a complete set of tutorial videos. You can view them in the program from its Help | Video Library menu. Even before you download and install RSpec, you can view the tutorial videos online here.
- Robin Leadbeater is the designer of the Star Analyser grating. Robin’s creativity, skill, and passion, as well as tireless contributions to the amateur community, have had an enormous impact on the evolution of astronomical spectroscopy. His site is a gold mine of wonderful examples and tips. Don’t miss it.
- Hands-on workshop: Even while you’re waiting for clear skies or your new diffraction grating to arrive, you can begin learning RSpec (even with just the free trial version!). This page (link) has a YouTube video of a hands-on workshop given to the AAVSO by Tom Field. There are also sample files there that you can download so you can follow along step by step. This is a great way to get started.
- Christian Buil’s site contains a wealth of very helpful information about spectroscopy. Christian is one of the leaders in the field. He’s a pioneer who frequently leads the way into new technologies. His site has countless examples of the kind of deep, high-quality, scientific work that he does.
- David Haworth has been doing high-quality spectroscopy for more than ten years. He has a great site with lots of good information and links to other sites. His site also has the details on how to do solar spectroscopy with a Star Analyser.
- Ken Hudson does a really great job blogging a wide range of astronomy topics. Here’s his informative blog post on spectroscopy with RSpec: link.
- For more flexibility in your telescope activities, you can mount a Star Analyser and other devices on a Rotarion rotator. Here’s an example of a Rotarion that’s configured for a variety of activities, including a ZWO camera with a Star Analyser: link. Here’s their site: link.
Books
We don’t want to discourage you from buying books, but we’d like you to know that getting started is so easy, you may not need any of the books listed below.
Check out our online calculator (link) to quickly determine how to mount a Star Analyser grating. Then, simply watch the first few videos on our video page (link).
We’re always available through our Contact Form (link) and welcome any questions. So, don’t hesitate to reach out!
The first three books below are part of the popular and well-regarded Patrick Moore series. Any one of these would be a great way to deepen your understanding of the science of spectroscopy.
You might be surprised at how easy it is to get started without needing a lot of complicated reading.
Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars: Reading the Lines in Stellar Spectra (Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series), Keith Robinson – This is a great book! It’s one of my favorites. It has very little math and is easy to read. This book explains the science behind stellar spectra. Highly recommended. Amazon link.
Starlight: An Introduction to Stellar Physics for Amateurs (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series), Keith Robinson – Starlight offers an in-depth exploration of stellar astrophysics, requiring only basic high school math and physics, making it accessible to all amateur astronomers. It presents the physics of stars and starlight in a friendly, easy-to-read style. Reading it, you will gain a much deeper understanding of this fascinating subject, leading to more rewarding and fulfilling observations. Amazon link.
Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series), Mike Inglis – When I first discovered this book, I was worried because it had the word “astrophysics” in the title, it would be full of complex math that would difficult to understand. But that wasn’t the case! The book is written at a level that anyone can appreciate and learn from. The small amount of math is clearly separated into separate “Math boxes,” which you can skip without losing the essence of the text.
I revisit this book regularly and always learn something new. It would make a valuable addition to your library! Amazon link.
Spectral Atlas for Amateur Astronomers, Richard Walker – This is a very nice, large, color-format text of Walker’s popular atlas. Featuring detailed commented spectral profiles of more than one hundred astronomical objects, this excellent spectral guide documents most of the important and spectroscopically observable objects accessible using typical amateur equipment. It allows you to read and interpret the recorded spectra of the main stellar classes, as well as most of the steps from proto-stars through to the final stages of stellar evolution as planetary nebulae, white dwarfs, or the different types of supernovae.
This book also presents spectra of stellar clusters, galaxies, and quasars, and the reference spectra of some terrestrial light sources. Whether used as the principal reference for comparing with your recorded spectra or for inspiring independent observing projects, this atlas provides a wonderful and educational view into our Universe’s past. Amazon link.
We recommend the hard copy rather than the Kindle version because this is a book with a lot of large images. Note that because the spectra illustrated in this book are captured with a slit device with higher resolution than that achieved by a slit-less Star Analyser grating, not all of the spectroscopic features it shows will be visible with a Star Analyser. Don’t let that dissuade you from purchasing this book. In Tom’s opinion, it’s one of the best for learning about astronomical spectra, especially if you’re capturing them yourself.
Observer’s Guide to Stellar Evolution, Mike Inglis – Another good entry-level book that covers the fundamentals. This is also one of my favorites. Amazon link.
Stellar Spectral Classification, Gray and Corbally – This is a detailed, 600-page book that’s considerably more detailed than most of us need. But, it’s a standard reference. I’ve learned a lot from it and I’m glad I have it in my collection. You may want to check it out at the library or bookstore before purchasing it. James Kaler (author of Stars and Their Spectra) says on the book’s back cover:
“… fills a huge need by providing a spectacularly good discussion of stellar spectra. With a highly detailed and digital view of the modern art of classification… there is not much on the subject that one cannot find in this well-written and richly illustrated volume.” Amazon link.
Practical Amateur Spectroscopy, Stephen Tonkin – A bit dated, but still useful. Amazon link.
Measuring the Universe: The Cosmological Distance Ladder (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration), Stephen Webb – This is a great book! It’s a bit technical and a more than decade old, but don’t let that put you off. It’s a wonderful overview of how we calculate the very large distances we encounter in astronomy. It starts by a quick discussion of the parallax method that is used on nearby objects. And it concludes with how we measure the most distant objects in the universe.
I keep coming back to this book because it incorporates so many different disciplines in astronomy. And, of course, spectroscopy plays a big part! Amazon link.
A Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars: A Pocket Field Guide (Astronomer’s Pocket Field Guide), Martin – Two pages for each of 54 stars. For each star, there is a spectrum and profile graph with key features called out. Amazon link.
The Sky is Your Laboratory, Robert Buchheim – This book touches on spectroscopy, but also has a wide range of other interesting projects. I’ve included it here because it is aimed at amateurs who, like you, are interested in learning and doing.
You’ll find it has a very readable discussion in the how-tos in a variety of projects, including chapters on astrometry, photometry, variable star observing, occultations, and meteors. When necessary, the author includes very accessible math that may be necessary for understanding the projects and approaches.
There should be more books like this! Amazon link.
The Revival of Amateur Spectroscopy, Maurice Gavin – This is a short, free, online article from more than ten years ago by one of the original amateur spectroscopers who recently passed away. link.
Stars and their Spectra: An Introduction to the Spectral Sequence, Kaler – This is one of the “standards” — and rightly so. It’s very detailed, probably more so than most of us need. It’s also out of print. You may be able to find a used version or a copy in you local library. Here’s what Amazon itself says:
“[This book] begins by introducing the reader to the fundamental properties of stars and the formation of spectra, before proceeding to the concept and history of stellar classification. The following chapters each look at a different star type: starting with cool M, the discussion extends to cover new stellar classes L and T, before advancing through type O to finish with extraordinary classes. The book concludes with a skillful integration of all the data, tracing the evolution of stars and their place in the Universe. With modern digital spectra and updates from two decades of astronomical discoveries, this accessible text is invaluable for both amateur astronomers and students.” Amazon link.
Novae & Spectroscopy, François Teyssier – This free, downloadable article is a good resource on, well, … you guessed it: novae and spectroscopy! The PDF linked to here is a computer-generated translation from French, so it’s a bit unpolished but readable. Thanks, François for this valuable article! PDF link.
Resolution limitations, Doug West – If you’re thinking (like I did early on) of trying a 300 or 600 line/mm slit-less grating, West’s paper will show you that it’s unlikely to produce good results.
At a certain point, increasing a grating’s lines/mm or distance from the sensor in a slit-less system produces no increase in resolution. If there’s more math here than you’re comfortable with, start with the Introduction and Conclusion sections. Free website: link.
Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs, (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series), Ken Harrison – This is a very helpful book. Ken is a leader in the amateur community and a trailblazer with a great deal of experience in all aspects of the field. He’s helped hundreds and thousands of us (including me on many occasions) over the past two decades.
Ken’s book contains a lot of background information for the beginner as well as the more experienced amateur spectrographer. Amazon link.
Grating Spectroscopes and How to Use Them (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series), Ken Harrison – In this follow-up book, Harrison continues to offer valuable practical advice on getting started with a small telescope or even a simple DSLR. Amazon link.
Successfully Starting in Astronomical Spectroscopy: A Practical Guide, François Cochard – The author of this book is the owner of Shelyak Instruments, the well-respected manufacturer of several slit spectrometers. François has made many, many contributions to the field and he has had a profoundly positive impact for many, many years. He is a pioneer who has earned enormous respect from our community. So, yes, he knows what he’s talking about.
Not surprisingly, this book focuses on the practical aspects of capturing slit spectra. But, don’t let that dissuade you from reading it. The book is well-organized and contains a lot of useful information. Sometimes the theoretical discussion gets pretty deep. For example, I don’t think we need to see the full equation of Planck’s Law or read a discussion about instrument design when we’re just getting started. But that complexity is offset by Cochard’s extremely clear and helpful discussion of many important topics. Amazon link.
Astronomical Spectrography for Amateurs, Rozelot and Neiner – This book is a collection of essays written by experts in the field, including Christian Buil and Valerie Desnoux, both well-known and respected leaders and trialblazers in our field. Personally, I have great admiration for them and their accomplishments (many of which benefit even us beginners.)
Some of the articles have a lot of deep math. Others are more accessible to the rest of us.
This book is helpful, but like the Cochard book above, might be best left for a subsequent purchase after you have a firm grasp of the fundamentals. Amazon link.
This book is intended for a university-level course. Lots of math and theory.
I’ve included it here for the novelty of the fact that the author is the great-great-grandson of Alfred Lord Tennyson, who penned the well-known line: “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
And, yes, oh reader, if you’ve made it this far on this page, you’re well on your way to loving spectroscopy. You can’t lose in this study. Come join us all in the excitement of capturing and understanding star spectra! We’ll be here to help you in any way we can. ❤️
Amazon link.
Some of the above book links are Amazon affiliate links where I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase. There is no additional cost to you.
RSpec in the News
Read about how people are using RSpec to do exciting projects: link.