Since1970, Fred Veio has assisted many amateurs to build a spectrohelioscope (SHS) -- an instrument that allows you to image the sun in a very narrow band of color. His design is portable, compact, low cost, and was published in the January 1969 issue of Sky and Telescope. His book on SHS (which can be downloaded from this page) appeared in 1972, followed by three more editions. A self made SHS will cost about $600. If an optical company makes the optics, total costs will be about $2000, including the grating. A professional SHS with long focal length optics, intricate machine shop parts, about $15,000.00.
What's New on theSpectrohelioscope Network?... and more that will help you make high-quality slits (click a letter) A B C D E
Fred's May 2010 Solar Magnetograph with a Spectroheliograph.pdf
BuyRightAuctions: great source for discount gratings, monochrometers (email: buyright@mgboston.co) |
Here's what you can see with a Spectrohelioscope
Solar Features (courtesy of NASA)
The Sun's Fraunhofer Lines
Here is some useful information about the Human Eye and SHS design
The Spectrohelioscope in Brief
Click here to see an annotated gallery of spectrohelioscopes constructed by amateurs from around the world
Click here to see solar images from spectrohelioscopes constructed by amateurs from around the world
Click here to see several coelostat designs by Fred Veio and others on this site
Professional Equipment and Photos
Click here to see some solar images by professionals
A Spectrohelioscope Timeline
Click here to see highlights from the Spectroheliscope Forum
Spectrohelioscope Theory and Design
Hale at the Yerke's Spectrohelioscope
Fredrick Veio's Plans forspectroscope
Fredrick Veio's 119 page Book "The Spectrohelioscope " in Adobe Acrobat
.PDF 
31 May 2002 Update Pages for "The Spectrohelioscope" (be sure to add these to your copy!)
Fredrick Veio's article "Spectrohelioscope Designs" in PDF (or in plain text or in MS-Word format)
(these are Fred's quick notes on building a spectrohelioscope; very useful if you are not yet ready to read his 119 page book)
David Lyon's synopsis "Solar Spectroscopy" in PDF (or in MS-Word format)
Michael Hill's "Dual Grating Prominence Telescope" in PDF (or in MS-Word format)
Walter J. Semerau's "Spectroheliograph" in PDF (SciAm Amateur Scientist c. 1958 and thanks to Norm Anheier)
Gene F. Frazier's "Spectrohelioscope" in PDF (SciAm Amateur Scientist c. 1974 and thanks to Norm Anheier)
A novel idea for a ceolostat in PDF
HyperPhysics on the Theory of Diffraction Gratings
RGL's "Determination of the Blaze Wavelength" in PDF (or in MS-Word format)
Christopher Palmer's 143 page Diffraction Grating Handbook (HTML)
On Coronagraphs
Standard Designs for Synthesizers
Fred Veio writes about Selecting Optics for a Solar Spectroscope
A bare bones solar spectrograph
Fred's notes on Visual Acuity and Factors to Consider in an SHS
Fred's notes on Solar magnetic fields
Fred's notes on thevisual brightness of the solar disk in an SHS
The
Ondrojev Observatory multi-wavelength spectroscope
Pictures and Documentation on
Freds large spectrometer pictures taken by Paul Kobetz
2004
PlanetMan's Spectrohelioscope (with continuing
updates and commentary)
G. Hale's Spectrohelioscope Design Fred's notes on Visual Acuity and SHS Design (and look here as well)
Articles describing alternative image synthesizer designs:
George Haig's article "
Some alternative spectrohelioscope designs" in PDF (c. 1998 and thanks to David Groski)
Brian Manning's article "
A new spectrohelioscope" in PDF (c. 1982 and thanks to David Groski)
Edison Petit's article "
An optical improvement in the spectrohelioscope" in PDF (c. 1939 and thanks to David Groski)
H.R. Hatfield on the "SevenOaks Spectrohelioscope -
part 1 (1988) and part 2 (1994)" in PDF (thanks to David Groski) Fred Veio's article on "Rebuilding the 60mm Spectrohelioscope" in PDF (c. 1983) David Groski's Solar Prominance Scope Phil Rousselle's SHS (Wow!)
New material from
Ivan Glitsch, Wallisellen Switzerland; Klass Honders, The Netherlands Brian Manning's SHS
Sources for Parts and Materials
Important note:
Fredrick Veio's warnings on purchased gratings
Selecting Optics for a Solar Spectroscope
Surplus Shed for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
China Daheng Corp. is an inexpensive source for gratings and other optics
Sterling Resale Optics for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
BSC Optics for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
Apogee Optics for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
CVI quality laser optics
Edmund Scientific for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
Melles Griot laser optics
New Focus components and research quality optics
Newport Corporation for the serious hobbyist or experimenter to browse around
Oriel A great source for filters and specialized optics
ThorLabs components and research quality optics
Richardson Grating Labs (now called ThermoRGL)
Diffracton Products, Inc;
Dr. Edward Leibhardt, President, 9416 West Bull Vally
Rd.,P.O. Box 1030
Woodstock, IL 60098, USA; Phone: (815)338-6768; Fax: (815)338-7167
Jobin-Yvon, gratings and equipment
Daystar Filters (Amateur H-alpha, etc. filters)
Coronado Filters (H-alpha, etc.; I personally prefer the Daystar)
Thousand Oaks Prominence Filters
Links
The Yahoo! Spectrohelioscope Forum (This is the main discussion forum used by Fred Veio, David Groski, David Lyon and other contributors to this site)
Leonard Higgins Spectrohelioscope
NASA's Solar Data Analysis Center (current events and news on the Sun)
Sirius Observatory Spectrohelioscope
The Yerkes Observatory Spectrohelioscope
The National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak
The 150-Foot Solar Tower at Mt. Wilson Observatory
Solar Astronomy for Kids (at heart)
Lots of other Solar Telescope Links
Medieval Solar Astronomy
Indian
Chinese
Papers from the Hale erra:
The
Spectrohelioscope by Hale 1926PASP___38___96H.pdf
by George E. Hale
The
spectrohelioscope Hale 1926Obs____49__372H.pdf George
E. Hale
The spectrohelioscope and its work PART I History, instruments, Adjustments, and Methods of Observation by George E. Hale
The spectrohelioscope and its work PART II by George E. Hale
The spectrohelioscope and its work PART III by George E. Hale
Links added by Mike Rushford
solar spectrum
wpo - a reflective spectroscopic slit
& its application
POLARIZATION
ANALYSIS
solar
corona Polarization observation
Solar Type spectrum
Solar rotation doppler shift
Sun Spot spectra
Spectrohelioscope
Spectrometer
calibration
LHIRES III IN SPECTROHELIOGRAPH MODE
Long slit Intermediate resolution
Spectrograph for Astronomy
The SpectroHelioScope by Leonard Higgins and Fred Veio
Filter of Lyot.
Light and polarization.
Solar spectrum Atlas
Blue to green visible spectrum image
Green to Red visible spectrum
Blue to Red visible spectrum
Weird Telescopes
Chris Westland's Incomplete SHS projects
Zeeman Effect
Optical
Aperture's/Components
THE COLLIMATION
Coronagraphs
El Cheapo Tooling for Curve Generating
EYEPIECES -
DISTORTION
WHAT IS A MTF CURVE ?
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF OBSTRUCTION
?
DOES THE OBSTRUCTION HAVE LESS
EFFECTS IN CCD THAN IN VISUAL ?
THE SPECTROHELIOSCOPE
© J. Christopher Westland, All Rights Reserved
last updated2009-05-19 Michael C Rushford