Astrobackyard Podcast

After almost an entire year....WOW...we are back and with a new co-host.

Today we sat down with Evans from Pegasus Astro to discuss new and exciting products. This long distance interview might be the future of the podcast! We also posted a video of the interview at the Ontario Telescope YouTube channel

Holy Potato's! I got to sit down with Twitch broadcaster Astro Canuck! We talk about imaging, sky conditions, Twitch and Lego smashing.....we even fit Batman in there somewhere

Solar Imaging has become more popular with the lower equipment costs, and the ability to do it during the day! Have you considered taking the plunge into solar astrophotography? Our special guest Gary Palmer, known around the world as one of the best, and in my opinion the best, Solar Imager. Get some insider tips and tricks on capturing a solar image to be proud of.

A bit of a change. Did you know you can contribute to the discovery of a new celestial object? Do you have old data from your imaging sessions? Jerry Hubble, VP of Engineering at Explore Scientific, talk about he revolutionary PMC8 mount system, and scientific imaging. Its not that hard to get involved. Who knows....maybe there is an asteroid with your name on it!!

I'm Flying Solo on this one! SGP has made a big change! Fall is upon us with a host of new targets! It is taking way to long between episodes, so I sat down and recorded a short one. More is coming really soon

Ok...So its been a while and my mic was broken......but I kept on with it and we got it done......its gets better as you listen. A new Mic has been ordered! Getting right to it.....a very special guest....you need to listen to find out who it is....

Have you ever considered going to a star party? On this episode I walk with Greg Bragg from Celestron. Greg has been to 104 star parties all around the US and Canada. Even one in Japan!! Greg tells us about his favorite ones and what to expect.

This episode is a special one. I was able to interview Dale Ghent. Dale is a contributor to the NINA open source project. NINA is image capture software that is open for everyone to use and contribute too. Take a listen to learn more, and see if NINA is good for you. I'm using it ! - Steve

Well summer is coming to an end and some of the greatest objects are available now! Are you having trouble with back spacing? Still trying to figure it out? Want to get more out of our colour camera? Just a few questions we are answering in this episode!!

It's the First day of summer! What a great reason to podcast! Have you setup all of your equipment in the middle of the field and then realized that the lights are not on because you no power? Do you run a small camera tracker and worry about polar alignment? then this Podcast is for you

The Raptors won........and we are back! Yes after a brief break we came back after dreaming it all up again! We argue over the significance of SII and what do when waiting for your target to clear a house

It's that time of year again! NEAF and the start of Spring! We recorded this one a few weeks ago and got caught up in a multitude of things that we almost forgot to upload it. Hope you enjoy!

It's that time of year again! The time of year we all gather around the telescope and look off at distant galaxies and awe in wonder. Yes its GALAXY SEASON!! What do you need to capture those distant faint fuzzies?

Hello Everyone! Yes we are still here.....hiding from the clouds and coming up with new material. 2019 is going to be a great year for astronomy. New equipment has come our way, and we are kicking it off with a new toy. Filter Wheels. Why you wan to use one, and which one to get!

As Trevor is famous for saying, "Winter comes around once a year". True words of wisdom. My choice of words about winter are not appropriate for a family rated podcast. Need a new target or challenge this snow season?? Here are some sugggestions!

I have one, Trevor has one, my friend Dave has a small one.... I'm talking about BIG TELESCOPES!! Small refractors are great for wide field objects....But the Big scopes get the far out objects with ease! If you have ever though about getting a big scope.....listen to this podcast. Full disclosures.....I had a cold when this was recorded

Want to have some fun with equipment you might have sitting around? Widefield DSLR astrophotography is all the rage!! So many possibilities and its really fun. Trevor and Steve talk about there experiences with this fun area of astrophotography and how to get started or add to your current setup

It's been a LONG time!!! Too long some may say.....Sorry for the long break, but the weather has been great. Astrophotography requires a camera....that is the critical hardware part for the hobby. We talk about some of our favorites!

ITs been a while, but we are still here. The weather has been gret and lots of time has been sent at the eyepeice, or in most cases the the guide graph.... A coupe of new items that Trevor has been playing with! Take a listen!

We are back! After a brief break and a visit to NEAF we came back to give you the rundown of the show, and to talk about some interesting targets. With Spring in full fores, and summer only a month away, it is time to dust off the equipment and take it for a spin!!

Well it has finally happened. Trevor is using a mono camera! Take a listen and see what he thinks about the transition form one shot colour to mono and narrow band imaging. There is a huge difference and lots of great advantages on making the switch to Mono imaging!

Planetary imaging season is among us! Yes you ready that right. After 19 episodes of Deep Sky Imaging....WOW....we are on episode 20.....we decided to do a talk on planetary imaging. Planetary imaging can be just as challenging and rewarding as DSO imaging! So much to learn, but you can image with a full moon and low cost cameras! Listen to find out more and hopefully be inspired to give it a shot.

This is a long one! With Spring just around the corner (Thank goodness) its not only a change in season, but also a whole new set of targets are presented. It is Galaxy Season! The list is SO long of what comes into view this month, and in the the rest of spring. Galaxies, Open Clusters, Closed Clusters, Nebula, so much to choose from. I'm sure you will hear our excitement on this one....what are great time to take images!

A great way to increase your telescopes focal length is with an accessory called a barlow, or extender. you can also decrease the focal length of your telescope with a reducer. There are several different names and accessories to let you frame up your object........we go over some of them in this episode of The Astrobackyard Podcast!

Most of have this thing called a "Job" that can get in the way of our astrophotography hobby. Make the most of you night with planning and setup. Or do what I do and do everything by headlamp...... - Steve

With all of the available accessories that you can put on your camera that require a USB cable or a power cable, or both, it can very easily become a bit of a mess. There are several great products on the market that help with this. WE talk about them on this episode as it was a topic that was in demand. We like to give our audience what they want....so here you go!

WOW!! 15 Episodes so far. What are great way to end 2017. It has been an exciting year for both myself and Trevor. This time I interview Trevor about 2017, and what his plans are for 2018. It gets a little weird.....but its really quick.... Thanks for listening and please tell your friends to check us out and subscribe. Post your images on our Facebook page and let us know your comments. -Steve P.S. I'm working on my audio.....I promise

If you are a serious imager you might already have one. If you want to step up your game, you may want to consider one. If you want to have total control you will need one. I'm talking about a motorized focuser. You can do a complete swap out, or an upgrade of you current focuser with a stepper motor. Listen to some advantages and keep an eye out for Trevor's YouTube review of his recent upgrade!

What a great interview!! In this episode we interviewed Robin Glover. Robin is the author of Sharpcap software. Robin explains the beginning of Sharpcap and the reason why he wrote it. We go into some of the advanced features. Focusing with Sharpcap and the different options available, native camera support, The Polar Alignment routine, and what lies ahead with the software. Once you listen to this podcast you will either want to start using it, or you will try out something new if you are already using it.

Small telescopes are really hot right now! They are easy to move around, do not require a big expensive mount system, can provide great widefield views, and can help product some great images. Trevor and Steve talk about there favorite small scopes from past to present.

The scurge of every imager!! No not an unfocused image......DEW!! Having a solid dew control solution is vital when you are imaging. As the night goes on change in temperature will create dew to form on your telescope. There are several great solutions, and we talk about some of them in this podcast.

Continuation of our interview with Explore Scientific. Greg Talks about the new line of mounts, and Scott gives us his super secret formula for cleaning coated optics.

One of the worlds best known brands of telescopes is Explore Scientific. We talked with Scott Roberts, Founder and President, and Greg Bragg, Director of Specialty sales, about Explore Scientific's beginnings and where they are today. In this first of a two part interview, listen as 2 heavy weights of the industry share some stories and the business mind that drives them.

The key to a great image is a good polar alignment. There are several tools available out there that make polar alignment a snap. you might already have them and are not aware! Trevor and Steve discuss the various methods. Find the method and App which works well for you

So.....Trevor has a new mount to play with. The iOptron CEM60 !! Along with the new mount Trevor has decided to finally try computer control and automate his imaging sessions. This is important considering the cold weather is coming. That's not all !! Something BIG is happening at Ontario Telescope and Accessories as well! Listen to find out more.

Trying to decide on which camera is right for you? Trevor talks about his experiences with a DSLR, a Cooled camera, and a Hypercam 183C camera. Steve just listens in and brags about his new project.... Send us your feedback at facebook.com/astrobackyardpodcast

Are you struggling with your auto guiding setup or want to know what you need to do to get going with it? Trevor and Steve talk about PHD auto guiding software, and how adjust the settings required.

So now you have captured your target data.....now what? Trevor goes over the steps of processing, and Steve tries to sound like he knows what he is doing. find out about the software to get yourself going, and where to get the tools you need to produce excellent astrophotography images.

Trevor and Steve discuss plate solving and focusing. Listen to the pro (that's Trevor by the way) on the easy way to focus your imaging rig manually. When you're all focused then next step is it align your mount perfectly.....and there is a really easy way without having to look through your finder scope.....seriously....you might even want to sell it!

Steve and Trevor talk about imaging targets in the fall sky. Targets for those that are just starting out and would like to see results, and then some hard ones too. tell us what you think at facebook.com/astrobackyardpodcast

In this Podcast Trevor talks about Filters to help improve you images. This is such a huge topic and we are just scratching the surface.

Introduction Episode The Astrobackyard Podcast is a collaboration between Astrobackyard.com and Ontariotelescope.com. Each episode will discuss a different facet of astrophotography and astronomy. Learn about techniques, equipment, and hear interviews with industry experts and professionals.