Outreach, EAA, and Sharing With Visitors

I've been a fan of outreach and EAA for years. Back when I was logging time for the AL's Outreach Observing Program I wrote this article about using EAA for outreach. Most of the hardware concerns are now obsolete but the ideas behind the article are as true now as they were ten years ago.

Today I see one more addition to what I thought then. Now it is possible to share those images with the outreach attendees. It is now possible to have people take/adjust the images themselves and walk away with them on a smartphone.

Hardware:

Goto mount with ASCOM control EQ or Alt/AZ

Telescope/optical tube/lens

Digital camera

Computer

optionally
EAF
Filter wheel

Software:

ASCOM

Planetarium/Atlas (SkySafari)

Plate solving (ANSVR)

Image acquisition (SharpCap paid version $18/year)

Live stacking (SharpCap paid version $18/year)

Web server Apache

Most EAA believers should be familiar with all but the last piece of software. The Apache web server software is needed for the participants to be able to access the images immediately after processing.

Before first use:

Configure Windows to create a hotspot. Alternately you can use a hotspot created by your mount or use an external one.
Download, install and configure the web server. Make a directory to save images in the web server's path (htdocs/images works for me). NOTE: web servers don't like spaces in file names!!!
If you want to save images from prior sessions create a directory for them (htdocs/images/old-images)
Configure your acquisition/stacking software to save jpg/png* images in the directory in the web server's path.
Create a Welcome page for your web server (index.html in htdocs directory). Make sure it has a link to the directory where you save the jpg/png files. There is a sample page below. Consider adding pages about your equipment, software, past images taken, information about your club, etc.

*Web servers are good with jpg and png files but don't know how to deal with fits. Be sure your acquisition/stacking program can save those formats.

Steps in the field:

Start hotspot
Start web server software
Preform any needed maintenance on the past contents of your image directory (delete old images, move to a different directory, etc.).
Check your computer's IP address (one way...open a Windows terminal and type: ipconfig) Remember the IP address.
Use your favorite web browser and open your computer's IP address to verify everything is working
Set up your mount, camera, and optics. Make necessary USB, power, and ASCOM connections.
Align the mount to CNP if EQ and the sky (all mounts) CNP alignment should be fairly good. Sky alignment should be ball park.
Use the planetarium software to pick and goto the desired object.
Platesolve to center the object in the field and sync the mount.
Image the object with live stacking. Adjust the stacked image's dark, mid, white points and color balance to get the best possible result (consider having participants help here). I suggest 10 to 30 second exposures so changes are seen fairly rapidly. Really long exposures get boring. A total exposure of 5-10 minutes should be adequate.
Save the adjusted image to the correct location in the web server's path. Use a descriptive name so participants can find their image.
Have the participants connect to the web server's network hotspot and IP address with their smartphones to view/download the image(s).
Have fun.

Sample Index.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><title>Sample Code</title>
</head>

<body>
<h1>Gateway to Tonight's Images</h1> [change to meet your needs]
<a href="..\Images">Click to open a folder with tonight's images.</a> [change to meet your needs]
<br><br>
Feel free to download any images you wish. [change to meet your needs]
</body>

</html>

This html gives the page below. Clicking on the "Click to open a folder..." goes to the page on the right. Clicking on the pngs will display the images for downloading. Clicking on the CamerSettings.txt brings up a page that shows the date, time, and settings used for the image acquisition.

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