Tell me more ×
Physics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for active researchers, academics and students of physics. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 6 down vote favorite

Is the construction of an etalon / Fabry-Pérot interferometer within the reach of amateur telescope makers? Are there any resources pointing to such projects?

share|improve this question
It would be awesome to observe the Venus transit with a homemade solar telescope! – Carson Myers Jun 28 '11 at 2:31

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

If it exists, some ATM somewhere has probably attempted it! The two main manufacturers of solar telescopes, Coronado and Lunt, both started out as small mom-and-pop operations, so I think building an etalon is well within ATM capabilities.

share|improve this answer
up vote 1 down vote

You can buy etalons on eBay cheap, they even have some 1" 1047nm for $35 now. I am a holographer, and I know how to use these in a laser. What confuses me is how they are used in a telescope with converging, rather than parallel rays. Can you just put mylar and a long pass filter (maybe a couple lighting gels) in front, place the etalon on a gimbal mount in the path, and put a camera on the end?

share|improve this answer
Great suggestion re. eBay although a quick search doesn't show any that are relevant for solar work. Typically, the etalon is placed at the front of the scope, before all the optics, but now one of the manufacturers is producing a telescope with an internal one -- you might enjoy reading this explanation luntsolarsystems.com/blog/internal-etalon-performance – Larry OBrien Mar 4 '12 at 18:10
According to this explanation on cloudy nights, the etalon is placed in front of the objective lens, so the light entering it is still parallel. cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/… – Dan Neely Mar 4 '12 at 18:17
up vote 1 down vote

vol. 3 of the Amateur Telescope Making series has details on how to build a narrow-band filter for solar observations.

http://www.willbell.com/tm/tm7.htm

I did not attempt to build it myself, but looks very interesting.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.