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| Paper: |
A CCD Spectrometer for One Dollar |
| Volume: |
443, Earth and Space Science: Making Connections in Education and Public Outreach |
| Page: |
425 |
| Authors: |
Beaver, J.; Robert, D. |
| Abstract: |
We describe preliminary tests on a very low-cost system for obtaining stellar
spectra for instructional use in an introductory astronomy laboratory.
CCD imaging with small telescopes is now commonplace and relatively
inexpensive. Giving students direct experience taking stellar spectra,
however, is much more difficult, and the equipment can easily be out of reach
for smaller institutions, especially if one wants to give the experience to
large numbers of students. We have performed preliminary tests on an
extremely low-cost (about $1.00) objective grating that can be coupled with
an existing CCD camera or commercial digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera
and a small telescope typical of introductory astronomy labs. With this
equipment we believe it is possible for introductory astronomy students to
take stellar spectra that are of high enough quality to distinguish between
many MK spectral classes, or to determine standard B and V magnitudes. We
present observational tests of this objective grating used on an 8"
Schmidt-Cassegrain with a low-end, consumer DSLR camera. Some low-cost
strategies for reducing the raw data are compared, with an eye toward
projects ranging from individual undergraduate research projects to use by
many students in a non-majors introductory astronomy lab. Toward this end we
compare various trade offs between complexity of the observing and data
reduction processes and the usefulness of the final results. We also
describe some undergraduate astronomy education projects that this system
could potentially be used for. Some of these projects could involve
data-sharing collaborations between students at different institutions. |
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