Main Features

LHIRES = Littrow HI REsolution Spectrograph. Lhires III is a Littrow type reflection spectrograph, allowing high-resolution spectra to be recorded on 6-8 magnitude stars with a 8"-16" telescope, and with a minimum of space and weight. The dimensions of the Lhires III are 250mm x 200mm x 83mm and the weight is1.7kg-1.9kg (without the CCD camera). This makes the Lhires III an ideal spectrograph for current amateur telescopes and mounts. A highly polished reflective slit is used for long-exposure guiding with a second camera, (webcam, video, etc.), whilst maintaining high spectral throughput and efficiency.

The spectral resolution of the Lhires III can be modified. The standard version uses a 2400 lines/mm grating, giving a resolution R=17,000. With the KAF400 family of CCD cameras (Audine, ST7,...), the spectral range is approximately 80A with a dispersion of around 0.12A/pixel.  These values are ideal for instruments with focal ratios of f/10 and the acceptable range is f/8-f/12. For amateurs with faster optical systems a Barlow lens can be employed to increase the f-number, but you should check that your telescope has sufficient back-focus, particularly if using a Newtonian reflector.
For completeness, a neon calibration lamp is integrated in the spectrograph for reference emission line comparison.
And as for the colour of the spectrograph:  to paraphrase Henry Ford, Lhires III comes in any colour you want, as long as it’s black!!