All NEW HantsAstro Classes for 2019-20

HantsAstro has always been at the forefront of practical astronomy.  We have a wide range of telescopes and expertise, and since 2008 we have grown to become the largest observing group in Hampshire, with over 60% of our membership are new to astronomy.  You too can benefit from a number of exciting courses that help you get more out of astronomy and your equipment.

The telescopes we use are standard and we have a broad range from 3" to 12" consisting of refractors, reflectors and Dobsonians. Due to demand we have been working on refreshing the content of our series of astronomy courses, that help our members get more out of astronomy and cover all bases.

Our courses are comprehensive, informative and offer great value. If you are also looking to get into astro-imaging then we can show you how it works from webcam to DLSR to CCD, we live astronomy!

Introduction to Astronomy (aka.'Newbies Night') (2 hours) Now On Sundays!

In a couple of hours we can show you how to set up your own telescope and what it's capable of doing. 
If you don't have one yet that's fine! You'll come away with an idea of which 'scope is fine for you and it will save you money by helping you decide on the best telescope/mount set up for your astronomy.

It's very hands-on too, so we cover refractors, reflectors, compound and dobsonians, and we explain the differences, strengths and weaknesses of each. You'll get to see all the accessories, including webcam, CCD and DSLR. We cover Solar and Lunar observing. We demonstrate Polar Alignment, and OTA balancing. We cover the AstroTrac and other trackers, with the pros and cons. It's an ideal prelude to our astro-imaging class, which has far more detail. We can show you how to maintain and upgrade your new gear as well as some easy-to-spot targets in the night sky. 

Location: Petersfield Community Centre
Dates:  Sunday 2.00pm-4.00pm Sept-May, see below for dates
Cost per person : £12.00 HantsAstro member or £15.00 Non-member. 

Alternatively for only £30.00 for non-members you also get a HantsAstro Annual Multi Site Pass worth £18

Astro-Imaging Class Part 1 (3 hours) Updated and Re-written

Ever wanted to take pictures of the night sky, well here's your chance!
We'll introduce you hands-on to the technology and all the various telescope set-ups as well as hints and tips on how to get the most out of your imaging set-up.
We demonstrate the anatomy of a typical EQ Imaging Rig and set one up in class.
We will cover webcams, DLSR and CCD imaging and CCD guiding as well as a number of useful targets to start imaging with, both Lunar, Solar and Deep Sky and which scope and set up is best
We cover the AstroTrac, Star Adventurer and other trackers, with hands-on demonstration, pros and cons We go through exposure vs aperture and focal ratio, and the importance of Dark frames, light, bias and noise reduction. Shooting in RAW, and image capture
We cover different laptop setups, software, and dew control.

Class size is no larger than 12.

Location: Petersfield Community Centre on Sundays 4.00pm-7.00pm, for dates see table below:
Cost per person:
£35.00 HantsAstro member
£45.00 non-member

Alternatively for only £50.00 non-members also get a HantsAstro  Annual Multi Site Pass worth £18.

FREE REFRESHER (within 6 months) BOTH PART 1 & PART 2 CLASSES!!!

You can also book an Intro class, and run through into the Astro-imaging Part 1 or Part 2 Astro-imaging class for a crash course in one day. Part 2 is aimed purely at laptop tasks, with example images supplied for you to process. Software for image manipulation is also supplied, or you can use youre own. It is not recommended to go from Intro to Part 2 with some imaging experience. Please email us if you have any questions.

Astro-Imaging Processing Class Part 2 (3 hours) Rewritten!

Great! So you got some images, now what?

The dark art of astrophotography is turning all the 'data' into amazing images. We will show what to do with taking the noise of images, stacking software and post processing. Advanced amateurs and professional astronomers work with images in FITS (Flexible Image Transport Standard) format. Learn how to work with FITS, RAW, TIF and other formats using Photoshop and astronomy-specific programs like Nebulosity, APP, and PixInsight.

You will also be given a resource DVD of free images to help you develop your astro-imaging as well as some image files to practice on. Laptop preferred for this class. New for this season is a bonus DVD of RAW data taken of various Lunar/Planetary/Deep Sky targets so you can start practicing processing images in the class.

Class size is no larger than 12.

Location: Petersfield Community Centre on Sundays, for dates see table below:
Cost per person:
£35.00 HantsAstro member
£45.00 non-member



Alternatively for only £50.00 non-members also get a HantsAstro  Annual Multi Site Pass worth £18

We are finalising our timetable for 2019-20 so book early as we have had a lot of interest in these courses already. For further information and to book a course please contact Sharon at:  membership@hantsastro.org


Current 2019-20 Programme & Availability (denoted in brackets)

All events and courses are ticketed only and are limited to a maximum of 10/15 people per class. Tickets must be purchased in advance.


Please complete PDF booking form (save form to your PC desktop, complete the form and re-save with your name as filename) and e-mail to Sharon Rose at: membership@hantsastro.org

Payment via PayPal (no PayPal account needed), all major cards accepted.

Astronomy Courses

Intro to Astronomy £15.00 GBP Astro-imaging Part 1 (H/A member) £35.00 GBP Astro-imaging Part 1 (non-member) £45.00 GBP Astro-imaging Part 2 (H/A member) £35.00 GBP Astro-imaging Part 2 (non member) £45.00 GBP Alt-Az Astro-imaging (H/A member) £35.00 GBP Alt-Az Astro-imaging (non member) £45.00 GBP Intro to Solar Imaging £15.00 GBP