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Starlight Xpress Spectrometer

millerrobe
Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Wed, 10/19/2022 - 00:31

Does anyone have experience with the Starlight Xpress Spectrometer. In particular, I'm trying to decipher all the cal lines from their Ar-Ne lamp.

So many lines, so little time. I can send a calibration image (or a FITS) if someone is interested.

Thanks,

Bob

Robin Leadbeater
Affiliation
British Astronomical Association, Variable Star Section (BAA-VSS)
Wed, 10/19/2022 - 01:15
NeAr lamp lines

Hi Bob,

I believe it uses the same lamp as the Shelyak spectrographs which is based on the RELCO lamp starter discovered by Richard Walker. If so Richard's "Spectral Atlas for Amateur Astronomers" has the annotated spectra in there.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/spectral-atlas-for-amateur-astronomers/32126CD730EBA49238F9318C16B90523

Alternatively you can find them on his website here

https://www.ursusmajor.ch/downloads/sques-relco-sc480-calibration-lines-5.0.pdf

Manfred schwartz also has something similar here

http://www.astrophoto.at/calibration-arne.html

(Take care that you chose lines that are not blended)

 

Cheers

Robin

 

 

millerrobe
Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Fri, 10/21/2022 - 00:24
NeAr Lamp Lines

Robin,

Much appreciated. The R800 chart was particularly helpful.

I only have to identify these lines once. I think, not absolutely sure, I've accomplished that task. What I did was take a spectrograph of an A0 star followed by the calibration lamp. I used the unmistakable Balmer lines to get a decent calibration, then overlaid the cal lamp spectrum using the program BASS. There are some head scratchers, like several prominent lines in the R800 chart and I have nothing. I attempted to see if there was a correlation between missing lines and ion number, but to no avail.

I'll update if I learn anything new. I'll also ask Starlight Xpress if they're using the RELCO lamp. When I last communicated with SX I mentioned that it would be really helpful if they included a cal spectrum in their manual with line identification.

CS,
Bob