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 >>> Obseving programs - Option C

Guided sessions of practical Astronomy for a medium/ high level, using all the observatory professional equipment and their facilities / services.


We would suggest the following thematic program:

1º day. Visual Observing
Optical laws and basic components of a telescope. Resolving power. Image quality and seeing. How to observe visually the solar system objects. Filters. Observing techniques for deep sky objects. Limiting visual magnitude. Light pollution and filters. Observing practices with the T400 or with Maksutov 150 telescopes.
Main telescope ready for visual observing.

2º day. Electronic image register (CCD detector)
Daily solar time and sidereal time. Concept of manual and automatic guiding. S/N ratio and related notes. S/N examples for a specific CCD camera ( SBIG ST8XE + T400 ). Adaptative optics. Practices with the T400 telescope and scientific cooled cameras.

Main telescope ready for electronic image acquisition (CCD)

3º day. Initiation to the image processing
Image formats. Image calibration. Combining multiple images. Digital filters and useful algorithms. Tricolour composition RGB and quadcolor composition LRGB. Practices at computers.


4º day. Initiation to the photometry and astrometry
Reference systems and equatorial coordinates. Universal time coordinate. Photometry of variable stars and asteroidal astrometry. Practices of imaging the above objects to obtain the light curve and the measurement of the astrometric position.


5º day. Initiation to the spectroscopy
Basics concepts of astrophysics and spectroscopy. Solar spectrum. Doppler effect. H-R spectral classification. Practices using the spectrograph and the T400 telescope.

Main telescope ready for spectroscopic register

6º day. Morning session of solar observation
Security in the solar observation. Filters and methods of observation. Phenomena that we can observe in the Sun. Practices of solar observation across filters of integral light (photosphere) and in H-alpha (chromosphere).

We are pleased to accept your proposals for a more personal observing program if the other guests in the group agree, please ask us in advance. Thanks.

If any guest wants to bring his/her own camera please ask us to check the compatibility with the observatory instruments.

For help and guiding to our guests a telescope operator will assist you in all practical sessions in addition and before starting the sessions ( at 21:45 h. ) will be a short meeting with the group for discussing observing technical details.

Duration and timetable
5 consecutive nights from 22 to 02 h. and one diurnal session for solar observing ( 2 hours ) in agreement of date and hour.

Our experience and advice in nights observations is to stop the sessions at 2:00 AM. In this way it is possible to maintain normal activities of tourist visits, beach, trekking, etc. on the next day.

Option C conditions
Weather rules the observing sessions. In bad weather we will do image processing practices or any other activities.

We kindly ask our visitors to limit the assistance of relatives to the observing session to one session. Thanks.

Please remember to bring with you CD’s or storage devices to store your images and observations.