Astrophotography in introductory astronomy classes using CCD cameras
Harold M. Hastings
Department of Physics
Hofstra University

The attached Power Point presentation illustrates the use of small telescopes (the 8 inch, f/10 Celestron), CCD cameras (SBIG 237) and standard software (Adobe Photoshop) for explorations in introductory Astronomy courses.  All photographs were taken from the Hofstra University Observatory, located on a rooftop approximately 12 meters above ground level in a suburban area (40 km from the center of New York City).  Students were easily able to learn how to handle the equipment.

The following techniques are illustrated:
(a) Basic photography;
(b) Improving contrast with despeckle processing in Photoshop;
(c) Simple spectro-photometry using filters in the CCD camera to obtain red, green and blue images;
(d) Interpretation of the red and green images as the H-alpha and OIII spectral lines;
(e) The relationship between the color of a star and its luminosity (the HR diagram), as seen in the Trapezium and other stars in the Orion nebula.

Partially supported by an NSF ILI grant.