The Astrophotography Program
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Overview
Introducing our Newest Robotic Telescope for Classrooms Program!
Individuals often take for granted how incredible photos of our universe come to be. Most people do not know that each astrophoto consists of many hours of data collection and post-processing. Astrophotography is the intersection of scientific data collection and art, requiring an understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum, data collection, image processing, and more.
In this program, students can learn from actual data taken by our robotic telescope. They will learn how astrophotography data is collected and processed; by the end of the program, students will have an astrophoto of a deep sky object processed by themselves.
Involve your students in the scientific process and show them how ground-based and space telescopes such as Hubble and James Webb produce incredible images of our universe!
Both basic and advanced programs can be done entirely virtually or in person. Each program also includes a set of further exploration guiding questions or the option for students to create their own to investigate various areas of astrophotography and data collection.
Note: The software (AstroImageJ & GIMP) used in both programs is NOT compatible with Chrome OS. See our Technical Requirements Page for more details.
Get your data pre-calibrated.
Choose from one of our already-imaged deep-sky object and receive data taken by our robotic telescope. The data will already be calibrated, removing a step in the process for your students. Your students will learn how to post-process the image while learning about how we use telescopes to light and use the data learn to learn more about our universe.
This program is ideal for high school classes and large groups.
Do it all yourself.
Choose from one of our already-imaged deep-sky object and receive data taken by our robotic telescope. The data is uncalibrated, meaning your students will start with raw data and work through calibrating, aligning, and processing the data. Students are also encouraged to use this data in their own extended analysis.
This program is ideal for individual or small groups of students with a teacher supervisor, e.g. personal projects, extended essays, end-of-year projects, or clubs.