Shelyak Grating module for the Lhires III - 300 l/mm
- Grating for Lhires III Spectroscope
- 300 lines/mm Ruling
- Provides Lower Resolution and Wider Spectral Range
- Complements the Standard 2400 l/mm Grating
The Shelyak Grating module for the Lhires III - 300 l/mm is an optional component designed to trade the high resolution of the standard 2400 l/mm grating for significantly broader spectral coverage in a single exposure. This 300 lines/mm grating fundamentally alters the instrument's capabilities, making it suitable for analyzing entire spectral classes of stars or fainter stars where wide spectral coverage is more critical than resolving fine absorption lines.
The Shelyak Lhires III spectroscope is supplied with a 2400 lines/mm grating, engineered specifically for high-resolution studies of specific spectral features. This 300 l/mm grating module offers the inverse capability, transforming your specialized instrument into a versatile survey tool.
By reducing the line count, the 300 l/mm grating disperses light over a smaller angle, allowing a much wider range of wavelengths to fall onto your sensor at once. This trade-off is the core purpose of the module: sacrificing resolving power to gain spectral breadth.
With this module, your Lhires III becomes a tool for spectrophotometry and for fainter stars: the lower dispersion concentrates the light, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio per pixel. Shelyak's Lhires III table gives a limiting magnitude of 8.4 with this grating, against 5.0 with the 2400 l/mm (200 mm f/10 telescope, 1 h exposure, S/N 100).
This grating is also essential for spectral classification. To determine if a star is a hot, blue O-type or a cool, red M-type, you need to see the overall shape of its blackbody curve and the presence of broad absorption features. The 300 l/mm grating covers about 110 nm per image (the whole visible range in about 4 images with Shelyak's reference KAF-0400 camera; more per frame with a larger sensor), making it a powerful tool for stellar astrophysics projects.
You would choose the 300 l/mm grating when your scientific goal requires a wide spectral range rather than high resolution. The standard 2400 l/mm grating is for detailed study of narrow spectral lines, while the 300 l/mm grating covers about 110 nm per image, useful for spectral classification or studying objects with broad emission features like novae.
The main advantage is spectral coverage. It allows your Lhires III to capture a much wider range of wavelengths in a single exposure compared to the standard high-resolution grating. This makes it possible to analyze the overall energy distribution of a star or record broad features over a wide window.
Yes. Because the 300 l/mm grating has a lower dispersion, it concentrates the light more on your camera's sensor. Shelyak's Lhires III table gives a limiting magnitude of 8.4 with this grating against 5.0 with the 2400 l/mm (200 mm f/10 telescope, 1 h exposure, S/N 100), which suits fainter stars and bright novae.
With an 8" SCT, the 300 l/mm grating will allow your Lhires III to function as a powerful survey and classification instrument. You will be able to cover about 110 nm of the spectrum of moderately bright stars per image (about 4 images for the whole visible range with a KAF-0400 sensor), allowing you to classify them based on their overall spectral features (e.g., O, B, A, F, G, K, M types). This is a task that would be impossible with the narrow-band view of the standard 2400 l/mm grating.
Absolutely. The 300 l/mm grating is perfect for this application. For a star like Vega (Alpha Lyrae), an A0V-class star, this grating will allow you to easily capture the prominent, broad absorption lines of the Balmer series (Hydrogen-alpha, beta, gamma, etc.) that define its spectral type, in a few images (about 110 nm per image with Shelyak's reference KAF-0400 camera).
The grating module is designed for user installation, allowing you to switch between resolutions based on your observing targets for the night. While the process is straightforward, it requires care to avoid damaging the optical components. We strongly recommend consulting the official Lhires III user manual for detailed, step-by-step instructions before changing the grating.
| Grating Ruling | 300 lines/mm |
| Compatibility | Shelyak Lhires III Spectroscope |
| Resolving power (R) | About 1400 (H-alpha) |
300 l/mm Grating Module for Lhires III
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