ArtCentrics


Planetary Imaging Primer

Planetary Primer Class Image

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 ZOOM meetings and two or three 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.
    • 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 2 or 3 Labs (TBD)
  • ZOOM Meetings & Demonstration – Sign Up/Pay Here
    • $5 for EVAC Members
    • $10 for Non-EVAC Members
  • Join EVAC HERE
  • Ages 15 and up
  • Class size is limited

Course Schedule

This class will be held from Tuesday, 04/21 to Sunday, 04/26

  • Weekly ZOOM Class
    • 3 recorded classes, 90 minutes each, 7pm – 8:30pm
    • Class Meets: April 21, 22, 23 (Tues, Wed, Thu) at 7pm
    • Meeting ID: 882 1594 9459 | Passcode: 165071
  • Weekly Labs:
    • Location: Gilbert Rotary Central Observatory
    • Dates/Times: 7pm – 8:30pm
      • Friday, April 24 – Demonstration Lab
      • Saturday, April 25 – To be determined based on need
      • Sunday, April 26 – To be determined based on need

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

TopicMediaLinkComments
ADC UseVideoMP4Video demonstrating how to use the ZWO Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector
SCT CollimationVideoMP4Video demonstrating how to collimate your SCT utilizing a Bahtinov Mask.
Skip to 17:26 for Bahtinov fine-tunning.
UV/IR Cut FilterVideoMP4Comparing moon imaging with and without a UV/IR cut filter
Skip to 9:10 for filter vs no filter comparison
Alt/Az ImagingDocumentPDFPlanetary Imaging with an Alt/Az Dobsonian
HD BenchmarkingSoftwareZIPCrystal Disk Mark (Windows) Version 9
TopicMediaLinkComments
SoftwareWebsiteMac ObservatoryList of MAC Planetary Imaging and Processing Applications
Astronomy CommunityWebsiteCloudy NightsOne of the most popular online community groups for astronomy
Astronomy CommunityWebsiteEVACEast Valley Astronomy Club: Largest astronomy club in the Phoenix Metro Area.  Check out their Observing Programs
Astronomy CommunityMailAZ-ObservingArizona Astronomy Group where you can get announcements, discussion, etc. through email or by logging into the website.
PlanningWebpageArtCentricsList of astronomical events for the year
PlanningWebsiteStellarium WebOnline planetarium program
PlanningWebsiteClear Sky ChartForecast for Cloud Cover, Transparency, Seeing, Darkness, Smoke Wind, Humidity
PlanningWebsiteTimeAndDatePlanet Angular Size, Brightness and Distance for a given date
PlanningWebsiteAstronomy ToolsField of View Calculator put in “Imaging Mode” to preview what a target will look like for your optical train setup
EquipmentWebsiteAstromartGreat place to pick up used equipment. There is a yearly membership fee.
EquipmentVideoYouTubeHow To Collimate your SCT
EquipmentWebpageTelescopeNightsHow to Collimate your Dobsonian
EquipmentVideoYouTubeSVbony Laser Collimator and How to Use it (Newtonians)
ApplicationsSoftwareASCOMASCOM drivers for your hardware. Needed for many astronomy related software packages.
ApplicationsSoftwareSharpCap ProBest software for planetary imaging.
ApplicationsSoftwareLucky Stack WorkerSoftware for sharpening and adjusting stacked images
ApplicationsSoftwarePIPPPlanetary Imaging PreProcessor (PIPP) webpage (Free)
ApplicationsPhone AppPS Align ProSmartphone App: Polar Scope Align Pro.  For alignment of Equatorial Mounts
ApplicationsSoftwareWinJuposUsed for processing and analyzing planetary images, but it’s much more than this and is actually the software equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife for the Solar System.
ApplicationsSoftwareAutoStakkert!Software used for stacking many images into one image
ApplicationsSoftwareRegistaxUsed for stacking and sharpening
ApplicationsSoftwarewaveSharpUsed for sharpening images.  This is new software to replace Registax
ApplicationsSoftwareGIMPGNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP): Free replacement for Photoshop.
ApplicationsSoftwareIrfanViewAnother image manipulation software. Great for making thumbnails