Amateur Spectroscopy - Part I: Introduction

[@darkskygeek]

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[@axelguillerand2284]

Voilà une chouette vidéo pleine de motivation pour faire connaître outre-Atlantique ces magnifiques inventions. Que d'économies grâce au bon sens, une fente et un réseau. Bravo !

[@LaGuiberte]

Top Julien, vivement la suite :)

[@kunjvachhani8547]

The way he explains is no nice he is excited to teach the topic. ❤

[@timcorso6337]

Fascinating - I be following this topic very closely. Thanks for you wonderful work

[@elliottmelan3457]

Wounderfull video on a topic that has interested me. Looking forward to more of your videos 👍💥💫

[@johnfisher2495]

This is great. After building sol-ex I had difficulty following Christian’s tutorials on you tube due to poor google translate,so having an English speaker is greatly appreciated. I just got the Lhires so I’m anxious for the snow to melt. I look forward to more videos. Thanks.

[@valeriedesnoux1691]

Excellent ! Super bien faite merci de populariser la spectro et de valoriser star’ex ´worldwild’ !

[@TMihelich]

I am actually sitting next to the SolEx I built along with the SolEx lens kit ready to install and setup with it. I am VERY interested to see more of your videos and am seriously thinking about adding the High res StarEx mod to it. Great job on your first video on this fascinating subject.

[@stevebarkes7939]

Excellent!! I'm looking forward to future videos on spectroscopy. Looks like you dived into this head-first ;-)

[@astro-spectro280]

Superbe vidéo ! Un alléchante introduction à la spectrographie, comme je les aimes, faite avec talent. Tu es un superbe ambassadeur. Vraiment merci Julien et on attend la suite ! - Great video! A delightful introduction to spectrography, just the way I like it, done with talent. You are a great ambassador. Really thank you Julien and we are waiting for the next one!

[@darkskygeek]

Merci Christian!

[@Sauvez_nos_ames]

Awesome series. Thanks for

[@darkskygeek]

Thanks! I’ll be talking about spectroscopy again later this year, so stay tuned! 😀

[@christoddheartogold]

Great video!! I recently obtained a Sol'Ex/Star'Ex, and since I don't speak French, many of the videos and other materials available have been a little challenging to understand. (Christian Buil and team, please don't take that as a criticism! Machine translation has helped, but it has its limits of course) I look forward to learning a lot more from you!

[@darkskygeek]

Thank you! Make sure to watch part 2 and 3 on my channel. I will post more videos about spectroscopy late this year, and might even do a live stream one day. CS!

[@brandilecomte-uv9wt]

Very good video. They keep getting better. 👍

[@pulsar5928]

Great vid Julien :)

[@sergeis6902]

Accidently got to this channel, looking for DIY spectrometers. It is absolutely amazing how such Hi-specs Hi-Res compact instrument can be built by enthusiasts, as usually it goes to grating from DVD disk and web cam detector with best spectral resolution of several nm. The only thing, I expect what the spectral range of this instrument starts from ~ 400 nm as no UV grade optics/detector was used. Maybe, it enough for astro observations, but so many interesting things are happening in near UV range of 250-400 nm. It would be interesting to know how to extend there... But in any case thank you for such an outstanding video and development !

[@darkskygeek]

Star’Ex can go as low as 3,750 Å. To go further into the UV, check out UVEX. Also, you’d need a mirrored telescope and a camera that is sensitive in the mid UV.

[@sergeis6902]

@@darkskygeek Thank you so much ! UVEX is a new discovery for me.

[@ingeskauvik1773]

Great presentation. I'm currently putting together the low-resolution Star'Ex since I feel the need for some practical training before stepping up to the high-resolution version. Low resolution spectra are also quite useful for basic education in astrophysics. Anyhow I was quite impressed by some of the things you presented in your video and look forward to seeing more.

[@darkskygeek]

Actually, you are making an enormous mistake! Low resolution spectroscopy is MUCH HARDER than high resolution. In particular, calibration is very difficult in low resolution spectroscopy. Also, high resolution can be more fun as things can be seen to evolve in a matter of a few hours! Hope this helps.

[@platreriejalabertsarl1654]

Super vidéo !!! bravo !

[@benjamincasatimcintosh2918]

this is amazing, i've always been interested in spectroscopy and seeing a "cheap" alternative for amateurs is great, hopefully i'll get one in the near future. thanks

[@azur3dprint171]

Great video. And if people ever don't have a 3d printer, know that I've been making them for a little while now and shipping all over the world for a very reasonable price ;) If I have the authorization to put the link of the shop, I will put it. Otherwise you will find me in the pages of the site of Christian Buil.

[@darkskygeek]

I will mention your shop in my next video :)

[@azur3dprint171]

@@darkskygeek oh really? Thank you so much :) if you need more information, don't hesitate to ask me. I myself am an amateur astronomer and in particular an astrophotographer so I really wanted to participate in this Sol'ex adventure by trying to offer a kit at a reasonable price by taking care of all the mechanical and assembly parts. That way users just have to put on the lenses and start the adventure :)

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

I did spectroscopy in my internship, would love to get into it again, I have pages for the filter saved.

[@kyzercube]

@ 17:06 are you saying " Helium too " or " Helium 2 " as in the superfluid???

[@darkskygeek]

Helium II, i.e. ionized helium.

[@ranjitneelakandan9551]

Fascinating. I am trying to explore a low cost spectrometry using a transmission diffraction grating (low cost) with 1000 lines/mm with F/7 127 mm refractor and ZWO ASI 294 mc pro camera.

[@bazpearce9993]

Cool stuff! I can get low quality spectra using my bahtinov mask on my scope. Every star i've tried has a slightly different rainbow pattern. I once built a slit box for my webcam too. It was a fun little project :) I've only just come across your well made channel. Subbed.

[@GregMcCall]

Hi, which Shelyak optical kit did you use? (I have a Prusa 3 printer) I'm interested in checking filters as well as the local sky spectrum. Would an Alpi600 do the same thing if I wanted to up the anti a little? (I already have a Lunt 80mm Ha telescope to look at the sun so that wasn't a priority) I'm guessing I need the "Star'Ex HR optical kit" although not sure which option.

[@darkskygeek]

I use both the high resolution and the low resolution (visible) kits.

[@joaomachado5655]

Great video Julien! Could this spectograph be used to do transit spectroscopy in exoplanets?

[@darkskygeek]

I went to a lecture at Stanford university a month ago that talked about just that. In short, no, amateur equipment is not sufficient for that. Even JWST has a hard time getting a clean enough signal that allows it to study the atmosphere of exoplanets. HTH!

[@joaomachado5655]

@@darkskygeek Thanks for answering Julien. So, with amateur equipment we just can do the light curve from exoplanets?

[@darkskygeek]

Correct. Light curve is what you can do with amateur equipment.

[@BoeingBrian]

Just to confirm, are you using the Star'EX HR Optical Kit? It appears to include the optical kit parts for the Sol'EX. Is that correct?

[@darkskygeek]

The Star'EX HR optical kit is for a Star'Ex HR. If that's what you want to build, then that's the kit you want. In doubt, don't hesitate to contact Shelyak Instruments. They will answer any question you might have.

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Interesting! Thanks.

[@bronco_fv]

This is really fascinating stuff! You mention a few sources, but I'm wondering where you get all your information from.

[@darkskygeek]

Good question! Here is a great book to get started: www.shelyak.com/produit/dc0029-spectroscopy-practical-guide/?lang=en Hope this helps!

[@giamas72]

Thanks for the video, I hope you'll prepare some othere video with "one night observatory session" in order to follw the entire process to capture star-spectrum from A to Z I will follow you with a lot of curiosity

[@darkskygeek]

Yup, a hands-on video will be published on my channel. But I live in northern California, and you may have heard on the news that we’ve had a pretty bad winter with lots of rain and flooding. I have not been able to do any imaging or spectroscopy for the last 3 months, which is unheard of here. The next video will come out next week, and it will be a closer look at the spectrograph, how to build it, etc. and I’ll answer a few viewer questions as well + debunk a few myths. Stay tuned, it will be good when the clear skies return 😁

[@nohphd]

What sort of exposure times are required to acquire? Would it be possible to acquire spectra from a magnitude 10 star on a sub second basis, say 1-1000 samples per second? NASA is predicting that T CrB will supernova sometime in 2024. I think it’d be extremely significant science to continuously acquire T CrB before, during and after the supernova explosion and am wondering if your spectrograph might be adequate for that task. Thanks in advance!

[@darkskygeek]

T CrB is a well known recurring nova. It will not be a supernova. I captured a few low resolution spectra of it last summer. With my equipment I captured 10 exposures, each of 120 seconds if I remember correctly. That star is being actively monitored using spectrographs by lots of amateur astronomers around the world.

[@charlesalexander8099]

Can I used this to read the spectrograph from a exoplanet transiting from it’s host star? If so what equipment needed to achieve this project including software. This is amazing. Thank you

[@darkskygeek]

Yes, spectroscopy can be used to analyze the composition of the atmosphere of an exoplanet. You will need to use the JWST and a camera sensitive in the mid infrared. Basically, that’s not doable from earth, whether by amateur or professional astronomers. For exoplanets, all you can do (and that’s already quite difficult) is to confirm a detection. To do that, you don’t need a spectrograph. A simple camera will do since it’s just about photometry. Hope this helps. CS!

[@sebchic1515]

I have been trying for 3 hours to find the STL files to print and where to get the parts so that I can make it. Can you help us? The website in the links of this video don’t show this

[@darkskygeek]

There is a link to download the STL files in a zip archive at this URL: www.astrosurf.com/solex/sol-ex-ressources_en.html

[@sebchic1515]

@@darkskygeek Thank you! I was able to download the STL files. On this website the link to the Shelyak website to buy the component is not working anymore. Do you also know where these components can be found?

[@darkskygeek]

I was informed that the shelyak.com website is temporarily offline due to a DNS issue, but it will be resolved shortly. I recommend to be patient and order the kit from them. Please, let them know that Julien, aka Dark Sky Geek sent you when you order 😉

[@sebchic1515]

@@darkskygeek Thank you so much for the good news. I was getting worried. Yes I will let them know and thank you again for making this kind of videos! It's a dream come true for me.

[@sebchic1515]

​@@darkskygeek The Shelyak website is working again, but there are no field where I can say that you pointed me to them for Star'Ex. Will you miss a commission if I order like this without being able to say you sent me?

[@sunnyboy70]

Hey Julien, amazing video. I did not even think amatuer spectroscopy was even possible. Are you going to make a video about your 3D spectrograph?

[@darkskygeek]

I will make a series of videos! So stay tuned 😉

[@MichelleGianni]

Hi, where can I get the STL file to 3-d print this spectrograph

[@darkskygeek]

The STL files are available at www.astrosurf.com/solex/sol-ex-presentation-en.html. Make sure to watch one of my recent videos (kzbin.info/www/bejne/lamYd5mvls9lhqc) because there are other options than printing the spectrograph yourself that may be better. Clear skies!

[@Astrokashyap]

the urge I'm fighting, not to build this immediately

[@jonperry7507]

Hi! I find that visual astronomy is exciting, and I'd love to do something more. Imaging planets, nebulae and galaxies seems like the kind of thing that so many can do so much better than i ever could, but ultimately not useful beyond amazing images to hang on the refrigerator. I'd love to do something that can actually contribute to scientific inquiry -- that's what draws me to spectroscopy. My question is pretty basic: what kind of telescope is better for spectroscopy: reflector, refractor or catadioptric, and why? I know that's a big question, so if there's some reading material that will help answer that, I'd love to know about it. Thanks in advance.

[@darkskygeek]

That is indeed a big question, and it has a complicated answer. First of all, when getting started in spectroscopy, it is much better to start with HIGH RESOLUTION spectroscopy, and to do that, you can use … pretty much anything. Just pay attention to the focal ratio, though. Spectrographs usually require a specific focal ratio (Star’Ex is HR mode requires at least F/7, roughly) Hope this helps!

[@jonperry7507]

@darkskygeek Thanks for responding! I watched this video, asked this question, then watched the second video where you touched on some of this. I've currently got a 10" f/4.9 dob -- too low of an f stop. I was thinking about picking up a cheap 4" f/15 mak specifically for trying my hand with spectroscopy. The fov should be small enough to isolate the star, but now I'm wondering if that's too high of an f stop?

[@darkskygeek]

@@jonperry7507 F/4.9 is a bit too low for Star’Ex HR, indeed. Also, a dob won’t work well, you need to be able to guide very accurately, so a good equatorial mount is a requirement. For the telescope, a small 80mm triplet refractor from TS Optics is unbeatable.

[@darkskygeek]

@@jonperry7507 The Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 will work great, that's a guarantee (lots of people I know use that for spectroscopy)

[@herbertnatanael]

Is it possible to use a spectrograph to identify exoplanets?

[@darkskygeek]

If you are referring to the radial velocity method, it requires a resolution higher than Star’Ex is able to achieve, so the answer is no, unfortunately. But amateurs can find (or confirm) exoplanets using simple photometry!

[@PagyBio]

J'aimé beaucoup des informations dans le vidéo

[@earthling-fh2mg]

I know how this sounds but, some years ago, I was wondering if it would be possible to use spectrography with a telescope to analyse the composition of clouds and contrails due to the reports of certain chemicals and metals being found by people across the world in large quantity within rainwater. Would this be possible?

[@darkskygeek]

It may very well be! But it’s also likely to be tricky, and whether or not the chemicals you’re looking for would have a signature in the visible or NIR spectrum is another story. Also, molecules have an incredibly complicated spectrum (they’re usually bands, not lines) that require a lot of expertise to decipher. For that kind of application, a weather balloon would be better suited (although make sure to clear that with the DoD first 😁)

[@developercm]

Great video. I don't think I can make this device. Every project like this I try fails for me.

[@ramprakashsurulirajan8521]

Is there an assembled version of StarEx?

[@darkskygeek]

Yes, there is! Watch this more recent video for more information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lamYd5mvls9lhqc. Clear skies!

[@ramprakashsurulirajan8521]

@ Thank you

[@alanreed3142]

The diagram of the prism is incorrect. Light always bends towards the Normal when travelling from a medium to a denser medium(as is the case in the first part of the ray diagram).

[@darkskygeek]

You are absolutely right. Thank God for the KZbin police 😁