Dave Groski's Solar Page

Dave Groski's Solar Page
david dot m dot groski at usa dot dupont dot com
(see also http://www.spectrohelioscope.net)
DISCLAIMER : NOTE! Viewing the sun can be extremely dangerous! The information provided here is meant only as a description of what one or two people have done. The reader accepts all responsibility and liability associated with the use of any information provided here, as it is possible that important precautionary information may be left out. Neither Dave nor Matt nor anyone associated with them is responsible for damage resulting from using the information and ideas herein!
A quick note on units and usage ... Keep in mind that the promscope needs a filter with a bandwidth of 10 Angstroms or 1 nanometer. A nanometer (abbreviated "nm") is 1x10^-9 meters. An Angstrom (abbreviated "A") is 1x10^-10 meters. So an Angstrom is a 1/10th of a nanometer, i.e. quite a bit smaller. The point is that one cannot use a 10nm (100 Angstrom) filter sold by a number of suppliers. You need one with a bandwidth of 30 A (3 nm) or less to see the prominences.

Also note the difference between the 0.8 system (H-alpha) and the promscope (coronagraph). The promscope will block the disk of the Sun with an occulting disk (which allows prominences to be viewed along the limb) while the 0.8A system allows the disk of the Sun *and* the area around the Sun to be viewed. The 0.8 scope shows H-alpha surface features, like filaments, and flares, along with prominences along the limb.

Solar Spectroscope
These are pictures from my solar spectroscope. It was made from two 65x900mm lens, a 3 3/8 inch diameter flat and a 600 lines/mm grating blazed at 500 nm. The grating is rotated by a small DC motor located under the main housing. By using inexpensive PVC plumbling parts and plywood, the cost was kept down to under $50.

Spectrum photos : These photos were taken using the above spectroscope and Toucam webcam. (see also http://www.spectrohelioscope.net)

E line Fe:

D-lines Na Doublet
These are the famous Sodium Doublet lines. It was the presence of the Sodium lines in the solar spectrum when compared to the spectrum that Sodium produced when burned in a flame that unlocked the mystery of the nature of these lines.

C-line H alpha
Hydrogen Alpha line

F-line H beta
Hydrogen Beta Line

b-line Mg Triplet
Note that these three lines are fuzzy. The fuzziness or wings vs the dark central core is supposed to show direct visual proof of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of quantum physics.

B-line in our atmospheer
These are caused by Oxygenin the Earth's atmosphere.