My goal for many years had been to get into photometry,  and have attended nearly all IAPPP meetings since the late 1980's that were held in
    Big Bear Lake, California just prior to the Memorial Day weekend.  However, building my observatory (and dome) and home took all my time on
    weekends  when I was working full time. Also, the 12.5" Dall-Kirkham telescope I have owned since the late 1970's was not adequate to do
    serious astronomy,  but I could never bite the bullet and get a telescope that could. In 1991 I purchased a used Starlight-1 photometer, but
    it had problems. I sent it to Robert Wolpert for repair, but the problem still persists. Since my Dall-Kirkham could not do serious
    astronomy this is where things stood while I was working on the observatory and home. Things changed after I took early retirement in 2002. By
    the time I finished the observatory and home, serious spectroscopy became possible for the non-professional. I have always been interested
    In spectroscopy, more so than photometry. and in  December 2005 I purchased the LHIRES III spectrometer kit.  In August 2006 I took possession
    of a 16" Meade LX200R telescope. It saw first light  February 2007. Then in May of 2007 I purchased a ST8-XME SBIG camera.
 


 

    The LHIRES has an internal Neon lamp for calibration. The smaller camera close to the back of the telescope is a DSI Pro I for guiding.

    One of my first  spectra was that of Betelgeuse taken on the night of February 9-10, 2008.

    The image has some calibration problems, but it is presented here to show what the LHIRES spectrometer can do. The lines besides the Na
    lines are real lines and not noise. Later on the night of  April 6-7, 2008 I took an image of Epsilon Aurigae that is flux corrected and better
    calibrated.


 

    If you live in the South West USA and are interested in spectroscopy and/or photometry join SW-Astrophysics. This group is to encourage
    communication and collaboration between astronomers living in this area, although it is open to anyone.

    If you are interested in Photometry, look at  Jeff Hopkins' web site.

    For all aspects of telescope science, besides just Spectroscopy and photometry, look at The Society for Astronomical Sciences.
 
The annual meeting is at Big Bear Lake during the week just prior 
to the Memorial Day weekend.

 
 
 
 
 
 

                                                                                                                               Comet  HaleBoppStevens
                                                                                                                                      Officially named HaleBopp but it should
                                                                                                                                      have included Jim Stevens.

Note: it may take some time
for the comet image to load