Star Analyser Spectroscopy

Abstract

Astronomical spectroscopy can be very exciting and rewarding, but it can also be very challenging and expensive. For someone just starting out with spectroscopy, the least expensive and least complex system is a simple transmission diffraction grating spectrograph such as the Star Analyser and Rainbow Optics units. No power is needed. No fancy observatory or telescope is needed. The spectrographs define simplicity. Both the Star Analyser and Rainbow Optics spectrographs are two similar inexpensive low-resolution transmission-grating spectrographs. While the Rainbow Optics spectrograph uses a 200 lines/mm grating as opposed to the Star Analyser’s 100 lines/mm grating, it costs nearly $100 more (more than 50 % more) without providing a significant increase in resolution. Either one can be used to produce a good low-resolution spectra images. In the following text only the Star Analyser will be discussed in detail, but most everything also applies to the Rainbow Optics spectrograph.