[vsnet-chat 587] Re: Low-dispersion CCD spectrograph?

[Taichi Kato <tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp>]

Brian Skiff wrote:

> I was wondering if it was possible now with a low-dispersion device for
> someone with modest aperture to be able to do the necessary observations.
> Since the key item would be to detect emission lines, it woud seem that
> one could do with quite low dispersion, and hence with a CCD set-up, one
> could go quite faint even with a 40cm or 60cm telescope.

   Yes, it is certainly feasible.  It is still fresh in our memory that
the first spectroscopic confirmation of Nova Sco 1997 was done by a Japanese
amateur with his backyard(?) spectrograph.  On some occasions when the CCD
spectrograph was attached, the 60-cm telescope at our Ouda Station could
reasonably get necessary spectra of some nova candidates and SN 1994I.
One of these nova candiates turned out to be a carbon star, another a true
nova (Nova Oph 1994).  Modern instruments with apertures larger than 40cm
would certainly do similar jobs.  Relatively faint, earliest-stage SNe
might be a bit more difficult targets, though.

Regards,
Taichi Kato

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