I've just come across the following description of the history of diffraction gratings. The phrase "fifty-three apertures" sounds like the "first" described in the text is an amplitude grating (parallel line openings in a mask) rather than a phase or topography grating that we normally think of.
I wonder how and why an astronomer
- made (or assembled?) a diffraction grating without a ruling engine
- tested the grating to at least demonstrate diffraction
- didn't use it for some astronomical purpose after making it
Was it just for fun?
Related: Where does "the grating equation" come from? Does it have a another name?
From "Diffraction Grating Handbook", third edition, Christopher Palmer, Ed. Erwin Loewen Editor (first edition), 1996, Richardson Grating Laboratory, found here:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GRATING DEVELOPMENT
The first diffraction grating was made by an American astronomer, David Rittenhouse, in 1785, who reported constructing a half-inch wide grating with fifty-three apertures. Apparently he developed this prototype no further, and there is no evidence that he tried to use it for serious scientific experiments.
In 1821, unaware of the earlier American report, Joseph von Fraunhofer began his work on diffraction gratings. His research was given impetus by his insight into the value that grating dispersion could have for what we now call the science of spectroscopy. Fraunhofer's persistence resulted in gratings of sufficient quality to enable him to measure the absorption lines of the solar spectrum. He also derived the equations that govern the dispersive behavior of gratings. Fraunhofer was interested only in making gratings for his own experiments, and upon his death, his equipment disappeared.
By 1850, F. A. Nobert, a Prussian instrument maker, began to supply scientists with gratings far superior to Fraunhofer's. About 1870, the scene of grating develop- ment returned to America, where L. M. Rutherfurd, a New York lawyer with an avid interest in astronomy, became interested in gratings.
In just a few years, Rutherfurd learned to rule reflection gratings in speculum metal that were larger and better than any Nobert had made. For the first time, the performance of diffraction gratings surpassed even that of the most powerful prisms. Rutherfurd made few gratings, though, and their uses were limited due to their high ghost intensities. Rutherfurd's dedication, impressive as it was, could not match the tremendous strides made by H. A . Rowland, professor of physics at the Johns Hopkins University. Rowland's work established the grating as the primary optical element of spectroscopic technology. Rowland not only constructed sophisticated ruling engines but also invented the concave grating, a device of spectacular value to modern spectroscopists. He continued to rule gratings until his death in 1901.
