Moon Rise Over Golden Ears Mountains ORDER PRINT #1009	Messier 27 The Dumbbell Nebula  ORDER PRINT #1010	Messier 109 and UGC 6923  ORDER PRINT #1011	Messier 43 The Great Orion Nebula ORDER PRINT #1012
Gamma Cygni - The Butterfly Nebula  ORDER PRINT #1013	NGC 281 The Pac Man Nebula  ORDER PRINT #1014	Messier 45 The Pleiades Cluster ORDER PRINT #1015	The Milky Way Galaxy summer Triangle ORDER PRINT #1016
Messier 31 The Andromeda Galaxy  ORDER PRINT  #1017	NGC 7331 and Stephan's Quintet  ORDER PRINT #1018	Messier 33 Pinwheel Galaxy ORDER PRINT #1019	Messier 13 NGC 6209 widefield ORDER PRINT #1020
Messier 57 The Ring Nebula widefield  ORDER PRINT #1021	NGC 1499 The California Nebula HII ORDER PRINT #1022	Messier 1 The Crab Nebula  ORDER PRINT #1023	NGC 2237 The Rosette Nebula  ORDER PRINT #1024

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Messier 81, 82 and NGC 3077 widefield  ORDER PRINT #1001	Messier 64  The Blackeye Galaxy  ORDER PRINT #1002	Messier 108 and The Owl Nebula M97  ORDER PRINT #1003	Messier 101 The Great Pinwheel Galaxy ORDER PRINT #1004
Messier 87 and The Markarian Chain  ORDER PRINT #1005	Messier 106 and NGC 4217 widefield  ORDER PRINT #1006	Messier 63 The Sunflower Galaxy ORDER PRINT #1007	Messier 51 Whirlpool Galaxy widefield  ORDER PRINT #1008

Session 1 : Basics of CCD Imaging

• Introduction to CCD imaging (how CCD camera work, CCD vs DSLR, webcams, video camera)
• CCD equipment basics (telescopes for CCd imaging, CCD camera, one shot color, filter wheels, guide heads)
• Basics of taking CCD images (setting up a telescope, polar alignment, balancing, PC connect, focusing, GOTO software)
• Image Processing Basics (calibration, screen stretch, color processing, staking)
• FAQ - open form question period
  

Session 2 : Advanced CCD Imaging

• Advanced CCD equipment (filters, imaging moon, planets, specialized mounts
• Advanced imaging techniques (sky flats, dark frames bias frames, dust and scratches)
• Advanced image processing (how to get the most detail, narrow band imaging, removing ccd pixel artifacts, unsharp mask filters)
• FAQ - open form question period

Session 3 : Software Instruction

• Maxim DL using this software with a CCC camera, setup, telescope setup, observatory controls, focusing and guiding) processing images
• Photoshop image processing tips and tricks. clone tool, image resize, adjusting levels.
• Registax Freeware walk through
• Student-Instructor laboratory - class will attempt to process a complete set of FITS images using Maxim DL and Photoshop to create a completed image ready to publish

Session 4 : Practicum - held at a location in Vancouver

• Field work telescope set-up - class will setup one chosen telescope with a goto mount and work to locate the scope on the earth, balance the scope and correctly polar align the scope
• Field work camera setup - class will setup one chosen CCD camera onto the telescope, obtain accurate focus and connect the CCD camera to a laptop running planetarium software and Maxim DL
• Field work image capture - class will successfully download a series of in focus images to a laptop taking with the CCD camera, possible guide head tracking, and calibration frames - dark, bias, flat fields
• Lab work processing and final image - images taken in the field will be calibrated by the class to generate a final publish image to be loaded onto the Vancouver Telescope Center web page, CLASS of 2009
  
  
  PRICE: $75 per session or $279 for 4
  

IN THE OBSERVATORY

Image acquisition software program used is
Maxim DL 5

Planetarium object location program used is
The Sky 6

Image processing software program used is
Adobe Photoshop CS2

our newest telescope - more photos soon !

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