Solar Imaging with the one and only Mr. Stephen Ramsden
of the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project
My program takes
observatory quality telescopes and cameras to regional schools and festivals
or events in order to teach our community about the Sun and its many
interesting features. I concentrate on the Sun's affect on our weather,
aviation, communications and environment. I started in 2007 and see roughly
50,000 people annually at over 70 events per year. This program is a
nonprofit 501(c)(3) and survives solely on your donations. Please feel free
to use my resources in any way you see fit for education, ask questions about
solar observing or contact us to set up a free visit. If at some point you
would like to contribute to the cause, I would be very grateful.
Stephen Ramsden is giving a
2.5 hour Solar Imaging Workshop. Here is the chance to learn hands on from
one of the legends of solar imaging. The cost is $25.00 and preregistration
is required. Space is limited to 50 people. All money will go to the Charlie
Bates Solar Astronomy Program.
Even if you wanted to touch
a star, they are impossibly distant. But despite the great distances,
researchers have learned a great deal about quite a few stars. How? The most
common method used to study the stars is called spectroscopy, which is the
art and science of analyzing the colorful rainbow spectrum produced by a
prism-like device. Until recently, spectroscopy was too expensive and too
complicated for all but a handful of amateurs. Today, though, new tools make
spectroscopy accessible to almost all of us. You no longer need a PhD, dark
skies, long exposures, or enormous aperture! With your current telescope and
FITS camera (or a simple web cam or even a DSLR without a telescope) you can
now easily study the stars yourself. Wouldn’t you like to detect the
atmosphere on Neptune or the red shift of a quasar right from your own
backyard?! This hands-on workshop is for amateurs who want to learn from
scratch how to do spectroscopy. Bring your Windows laptop. You’ll learn how
to process and interpret both your own spectra and even professional spectra
that you download from the web. You’ll learn how to calibrate and adjust for
instrument response. Even if you never plan to capture a spectrum yourself,
you’ll gain an understanding how the “pros” do it. This will bring a new
depth to both your visual observing and of your appreciation of the skies.
Tom Field of Field Tested
Software will be conducting this workshop. He’s the author of the RSpec
software (www.rspec-astro.com). Sky & Telescope magazine published Tom’s
article on spectroscopy last August and they awarded his software their “Hot
Product 2012” award earlier this year . Tom is a popular speaker who has
appeared at many different venues, including NEAIC, PATS, WSP, AIC and
others. His enthusiastic style is lively and engaging. He promises to open
the door to this fascinating field!