- Astronomy for Beginners
- Astro Photography - planetary and lunar
1. Astronomy for Beginners
The Astronomy for Beginners is a 8 hour course that runs for 3- 4 weeks. Participants receive a copy of the book The Southern Sky, a comprehensive atlas of the sky specifically designed for use in the Southern Hemisphere.
Children 15 & under must be accompanied by an adult.Minimum age for course is 12.
The aim of this course is to help you to discover the many wonders of the night sky and how to navigate the night sky. Using The Southern Sky we will identify many of the constellations that pass overhead each night, including any Zodiac constellations that are visible at that time. Over the 8 hours of the course we will observe the night sky and its deep sky wonders through different optical aids, including binoculars, refracting telescopes and compound telescopes. We will tour the various features of the moon and learn how to identify planets and where they are most likely to be found. We will identify the various types of telescopes and mounts currently available to the amateur astronomer and how to select the right one for your needs and budget. The design of the course is flexible enough so that participants will have the opportunity to cover areas of specific interest to themselves.
2.Digital Luna and Widefield Deepsky Astroimaging
2. The Digital Luna and Deepsky Astroimaging course is designed to introduce the absolute beginner to the wonders and ease of digital imaging of the moon and widefield deepsky objects. This course will run for 12 hours over 2 weekends. This time frame is somewhat flexible due to the vagaries of the weather so the 2 weeks may not run concurrently.
The skills learnt imaging the moon can also be transferred to imaging planets as the same equipment and software is often required. Unfortunately at this time of the year there are no planets that are in a suitable position to be successfully imaged..
The astrophotography for widefield and deep sky component is designed for the beginner to wet their toes in the vast ocean of digital deep sky and widefield imaging. This is a huge field of study and because of this it is impossible to cover all aspects of deep sky imaging. We will be focusing on widefield imaging using standard SLR lenses and digital SLRs (specifically the Canon range of DSLRs) and short tube refractors. You do not need to bring any equipment as it will all be supplied, however if you have a DSLR Canon Camera, software that came with the camera and a laptop, these may be suitable to use for this section of the course. .
All equipment we use can be bought stock standard and no special modifications need to be made to cameras, mounts, lenses and telescopes.
The following aspects will be covered in both parts of the course.
- What camera do I need?
- What sort of telescope and mount can I use?
- What can I take pictures of?
- How do I take my images?
- How do I process my images?
- Now that I have my images, what can I do with them?
Participants in the course will receive a CD-ROM containing a number of basic programs frequently used for capturing and processing digital astroimages. While there will be some theory included in the course, it is primarily a practical course with plenty of hands on opportunity at capturing images and processing images.
Due to the technical nature of this course and the equipment required numbers will be limited so early bookings are essential to be sure of a spot in the course.
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