Saturday, April 28th at 9:00 AM Stephen Ramsden Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project Solar Imaging Workshop

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. Paypal your donation to info@charliebates.org (or send your pledge via email) or click the donate link on the side menus. 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. Please email neaf@rocklandastronomy.com to register.

Sunday, April 29th at 9:00 AM Tom Field Field Tested Software You Can Almost Touch the Stars!

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! Questions: email info@rspec-astro.com.