Peter Balholm of Spokane will tell an inspirational and cautionary tale about his 12-year project building a spectrohelioscope. The SHS is a specialized telescope for viewing the sun in any visible wavelength, showing not just sunspots but solar prominences and flares. He has only begun to tap the instrument’s potential, but they can be used to show velocities, temperatures, and even magnetic fields. Though the SHS was invented over a century ago, it has never been mass produced, and there are only a few dozen in the world, each unique. The key to building a successful SHS, other than determination, is gathering tips and information from many scattered sources. Peter will share some of these sources and warn of a few blind alleys to avoid.