ArtCentrics

Course Summary

East Valley Astronomy Club (EVAC) is offering an introductory for planetary, Moon and Sun imaging.  This course consist of three 60-90 minute weekly ZOOM meetings and three two hour labs held at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert next to the Gilbert Riparian Observatory.  The focus class will cover a number of basic concepts associated with imaging the planets, Moon and the Sun.  It will review the current techniques and hardware required to get the best image possible for your system.  A telescope is required for this class but the club does have one camera and computer that can be rented for the capture sessions.

Course size will be limited and will be closed once limit have been reached.

Course Resources

• Materials
  • Class Book (PDF) – Contains all the material we will be covering in the meetings.
  • Lab Workbook (PDF) – Contains the material for the labs for this course.
  • Make a Solar Filter (PDF) – Instructions on how to make a solar filter from filter paper.
• Recordings (MP4)
  • 2023-11-21 Chapter 1,2,3: Course overview, Student Introductions, Setting Expectations, Atmospheric Considerations, Optical Train and Hardware.
  • 2023-11-28 Chapter 3,4,5: Hardware and accessories, Optical Tube Assembly,Mounts, Cameras, Filters. Calculations and lucky imaging. Bringing it all together: Two Working Examples.
  • 2023-12-05 Chapter 6: Hardware and accessories, Optical Tube Assembly,Mounts, Cameras, Filters. Calculations and lucky imaging. Bringing it all together: Two Working Examples.

Course Details

• 3 Zoom Classes and 3 hands-on Labs
• $15 for EVAC Members
• $25 for EVAC non-members
• Ages 15 and up
• Class size is limited to 5 students based on resources available

Course Schedule

As stated at the top of this page this course currently not being offered. However when it is offered this is the schedule we use:

• Pre-Lab Assessment
  • Prior to our regular scheduled labs Small 2-3 student sessions typically lasting 1.5 – 3 hours will be held at my house (in Chandler, near Ray and Dobson)  to cover some telescope basics.  This ensures the labs will run smothly since you will have the fundamentals of telescope setup already covered.  Students that own a telescope will be encouraged to bring it.  For students that do not own a telescope, one will be provided.
• Weekly ZOOM Class
  • 3 recorded classes, 90 minutes each
  • Class Meets: TBD
  • ZOOM Meeting Details: TBD
• Weekly Labs:
  • Location: Gilbert Rotary Central Observatory
  • Dates/Times: TBD

Student Information

The following information is required from each student for registration

• Name
• Contact Information
• Email Address
• Contact Phone Number
• Do you have a telescope you plan on bringing to the labs?
• Make & Model of telescope
• Imaging hardware list including make and model (if you have any)

Additional Online Resources