We are going to Teruel.

To the region of Gúdar-Javalambre, Starlight Reserve.

An 8-day trip.

Three dates to choose from.

With full board at a Starlight accommodation.

We will learn astrophotography under the guidance of Juan Carlos Peguero Baeta (Canarian Photo Awards 2023 - Gold Medal in Night Photography and Astrophotography).

We will visit the Javalambre Astronomical Observatory (OAJ), Galáctica, Teruel, Mora de Rubielos, Rubielos de Mora, the Geological Park of Aliaga, and Albarracín.

We will take images with the GT80 telescope from Galáctica (ASA AZ800 f/7)!

Maximum of 14 available spots

to choose from

First trip

from Thursday, June 27th to Thursday, July 4th

book before May 15th

Second trip
from Thursday, August 1st to Thursday, August 8th

book before June 15th

Third trip
from Thursday, August 29th to Thursday, September 5th

book before July 15th

Although we take the opportunity to explore the beautiful province of Teruel, let's not lose sight of the main focus: the primary purpose of this trip is to learn about astrophotography under the guidance of Juan Carlos Peguero Baeta, president of the Cultural Association CAELUM and winner of the Gold Medal in the 2023 Canarian Photo Awards in the Night Photography and Astrophotography category.

This course is aimed at astronomy enthusiasts advanced who want to dive into astrophotography or deepen their knowledge and perfect the technique of acquiring and processing astronomical images.

With this course, you will learn to do this  👇 (among other things)

This is the Ghost of Cassiopeia (IC63 and IC59), a pair of emission and reflection nebulae interacting with the nearby (3-4 light years) star Gamma Cassiopeiae, a variable star of spectral type B0.5IVe. But don't be afraid, it doesn't bite.

The image on the left is a single sub-exposure, and the one on the right is the result of stacking several subs and subsequent post-processing. These images are courtesy of Juan Carlos Peguero Baeta.

Over several days, you will learn, starting from your knowledge of astronomy, how to plan your astrophotography sessions, the different levels that astrophotography consists of, and the necessary equipment.

You will learn to photograph using a tracker or equatorial mount, to photograph through a telescope, and to process your photographs using specialized applications such as PixInsight, Siril, and Photoshop.

During the day, you will have theoretical sessions of astrophotography that you will put into practice at night. Although not essential, it is highly recommended that you bring your astronomical and astrophotographic equipment to apply what you have learned with your own setup. And if you want to practice with the astroprocessing tools presented by Juan Carlos, bring your laptop.

The last sessions of the course will focus on processing your images, learning how to extract the maximum signal from your astrophotographic shots. You will start with a basic processing workflow, allowing you to obtain quality results in a short time, and end with an advanced processing workflow to squeeze the most out of your images and achieve the best results.

On the first day, upon arrival at the Balneario de Manzanera, during the final agenda presentation, Juan Carlos will introduce the course to you, its contents, and objectives. You will have the opportunity to introduce yourself so that we can learn about your experience with astrophotography. This will allow us to tailor the course level to your knowledge.

• Photographing the Invisible: A Universe Full of Color. How can we photograph what we cannot see? Different photographs will be shown, and the techniques and equipment necessary to achieve them will be explained.
• Orientation and Planning when Choosing Objects to Photograph. Use of astronomical and meteorological applications, object catalogs, etc.
• And at night... the first astrophotography session.

• Astrophotographer's Tools:
  • Equatorial Mounts: types, configuration, and polar alignment.
  • Guiding: types and setup. Use of PHD2 Guiding.
  • Cameras: monochrome and color astronomical cameras, and astro-modified DSLRs.
  • Focusing: Manual or automatic?
• And at night... second astrophotography session.

• Accessories in Astrophotography: Heated tapes, power banks, flat panel, power management, etc.
• Autonomous Capture Systems: miniPC, astroPC, NINA, and ASIAir.
• Astronomical Filters: Broadband and narrowband. Filter strategy when capturing images of galaxies, nebulae, etc.
• And at night... third astrophotography session.

• Capture Methodology: Bias, Darks, Flats, and Lights.
• What is Noise? What is SNR? Types of noise, how to coexist with them, and how to mitigate them. Capture strategy in astrophotography sessions: determining the optimal exposure time.
• Stacking of Photographs: DeepSky Stacker (DSS), PixInsight (PI), Siril.
• Guidelines for editing an astrophotograph: introduction to PixInsight.
• And at night... fourth astrophotography session.

• Workflow in PixInsight and Photoshop.
• Processing our images with PixInsight.
• Processing our images with PixInsight and Photoshop.
• And at night... fifth astrophotography session.

From now on, you can ride solo, but we're not taking off your training wheels just yet.

This final session will be a "hands-on" session: Juan Carlos will be providing support as you process your astrophotographic images taken during the previous nights, or even those taken with the GT80.

The goal is for you to leave with all your doubts resolved, needing only flight hours.

1399€

• The price includes VAT.
  
• The minimum number of participants for the trip to proceed is 10 people.
• The maximum number of participants is limited to 14 people, to provide a quality service to attendees.
• The above price includes: accommodation in shared double rooms, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, transfers to excursion locations, guided tours, entrance fees to monuments and astrophysical facilities, astrofotografía course by Juan Carlos Peguero Baeta (Canarian Photo Awards 2023 - Gold Medal Night Photography and Astrophotography).
• The above price does NOT include: travel to the Balneario de Manzanera on the first day, return transfer on the last day, additional nights or meals, travel insurance, souvenirs, spa treatments at the Balneario de Manzanera, and in general, anything not mentioned in the previous point.
• The above agenda is subject to changes beyond our control.
• The deadline to reserve your spot is 45 days before the start of each trip. You can find the maximum reservation dates in the Dates section.
• To reserve your spot, you will need to fill out the pre-reservation form. We will contact you to provide the bank account number. Your spot will not be guaranteed until we receive the reservation fee.
• If, when you sign up, there are no available spots left, you will be placed on a waiting list.
  
• We're sorry, but we can't control the weather. Although we will try to take advantage of all observation nights and look for an alternative date for taking images with the GT80, we do not guarantee that atmospheric conditions will be optimal for astrophotography. What we do guarantee is that you will learn a lot and share even more.
• If you cancel before the reservation deadline for your trip, you will receive a 100% refund of your reservation amount.
• If you cancel after the reservation deadline for your trip and with your cancellation, the group does not reach the minimum of 10 people, we will not refund your reservation amount.
• If your cancellation is due to justified force majeure, we will refund 100% of your reservation amount until the check-in day.

• We'll be walking. Bring comfortable shoes.
• It's going to be hot. Make sure to stay hydrated regularly.
• It's going to be sunny. Wear sunscreen, a hat or visor, and sunglasses with UV protection.