Software Donation to Help Students Translate Moon Videos to Images
Date Posted: Tue Jul 19 2011
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars has donated 12 copies of Maxim DL Essentials for the CyGaMEs project to use in the NSF- and NASA-funded
MoonGazers program. The license allows installation of the software on computers at the center and for computers used on the road during professional development training or workshops.
MoonGazers' six Orion StarShoot cameras capture good quality video of the Moon using beginner tabletop telescopes. Maxim DL Essentials is an easy way to translate those videos into still images.
This instruction was piloted during a summer camp with students from an Ohio County, WV, afterschool program in June. The process was easy and engaging for the students. The students took ownership and pride in the stills they captured, said Dr. Debbie Denise Reese, senior educational researcher at the center.
The Maxim DL Essentials software costs $265 for boxed media and $199 as a download.
Images below taken with the CyGaMEs $200 telescopes and $100 camera allow MoonGazers to explore the Moon. Some telescopes allow MoonGazers to investigate lunar features (both photos in top row; right photo in bottom row). Here are the technical details for those photos: Orion StarMax 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Tabletop Telescope (focal length 1250mm, f/13.8, cost $199.95), Orion StarShootTM Solar System Color Imager IV (cost $99), AmCap video software (ships with telescope), and MaximDL (donated by Orion). Some telescopes allow MoonGazers to capture the entire Moon in one photograph (bottom row, left). Here are the technical details for that photo: Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Tabletop Telescope (Focal length 450 mm. f/4, cost $199.95), Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imager III (cost $99), and MaximDL (shipped with camera).
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