A Wide Band SpectroPolarimeter (Abstract)

Volume 45 number 2 (2017)

John Menke

22500 Old Hundred Rd, Barnesville, MD 20838; john@menkescientific.com

Abstract

(Abstract only) This is the third paper in a series describing experiments in developing amateur spectropolarimetry instrumentation and observational methods. Spectropolarimetry (SP) can provide insight into the extra-stellar environment, including presence of dust and alignment forces (e.g., magnetic fields). The first two papers (SAS 2014, 2016) described the SP1, a spectropolarimeter based on the medium-resolution spectrometer on our 18-inch, f3.5, Newtonian. The desire to observe fainter stars led to the development of the SP2 reported here that uses a low resolution spectrometer. The SP2 has been used with a C11 f10 telescope, and has allowed observations down to about mag. 8. This paper describes the SP2 and observational results to date.