This Site is slowly but continuously improved :-)
Welcome to Sunken Mill Observatory
Sunken Mill Observatory is an amateur observatory dedicated to stellar spectroscopy.
Its aim is to provide scientifically useable observations of variable stars.
At the same time I want to show that it is possible to perform good quality spectroscopy with "inexpensive" home-build instruments.
On these pages you can find some of the observations [under construction], and background information on the observatory and its instruments.
Please use the navigation menu at the left side of the page
Sunken Mill is afaik the first amateur observatory in the world that built an Echellette spectrograph (using knowledge from several amateur astronomers especially in Germany that experimented with and successfully built Echelle spectrographs).
See the pages under Instrumentation/Spectrographs/Echelette.
Since 2015 I also do Johnson V-band and Ic-band photometry of some of the objects I'm interested in.
Photometry pages will be added later. For now just refer for the very useful calibration pages at the "other" SMO observatory... http://south-moravian-observatory.jimdo.com/calibration-photometric-system/
Currently (2021), photometry is suspended due to time constraints, and better availability of photometric surveys (ASAS-SN, KWS).
Observer's Corner
Pulsation Phases of bright northern C-type and S-type Miras and other [semi-]regular long-period pulsators:
Predicted phases for selected dates (see also under "Observations > Predicted Phases" in the side menu)
What's new
07.03.2022 added list with prediction of pulsation phase for bright northers C and S stars
(first version from 17.12.2021)
24.11.2021 added introductory text on my spectrometer calibration
2019-2020 minor changes
03.01.2018 expanded list of observed C-type/S-type Miras
31.04.2018 more Mira obs
14.07.2017 Started page for observation of H-alpha in Miras (program stars and first results) more to follow
02.04.2016 Updated SMAGS page for the new VPH grating.
17.06.2014 Made the page public. Site is still under construction, but you'll get a first impression.