Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Originally broadcast on Zoom June 5, 2021. Richard Berry, AAVSO's Instrumentation & Equipment Observing Section leader, discusses how your first observatory should be inexpensive, simple, and easy to use. Its purpose: to be the place you call your own, offering minimal set-up time and maximal convenience. For example, a simple L-shaped fence can shelter you from wind and stray light, while a small concrete pad with an electric outlet can make set up fast and the alignment accurate. After getting started with a simple observatory, you can build on the experience as you plan a fancier shelter, roll-off roof, or domed observatory.
Explore AAVSO and how YOU can make a valuable contribution to science by visiting us at aavso.org (our Instrumentation and Equipment Observing Section is at aavso.org/instrumentation-section)
Originally broadcast on Zoom June 5, 2021. Richard Berry, AAVSO's Instrumentation & Equipment Observing Section leader, discusses how your first observatory should be inexpensive, simple, and easy to use. Its purpose: to be the place you call your own, offering minimal set-up time and maximal convenience. For example, a simple L-shaped fence can shelter you from wind and stray light, while a small concrete pad with an electric outlet can make set up fast and the alignment accurate. After getting started with a simple observatory, you can build on the experience as you plan a fancier shelter, roll-off roof, or domed observatory.
Explore AAVSO and how YOU can make a valuable contribution to science by visiting us at aavso.org (our Instrumentation and Equipment Observing Section is at aavso.org/instrumentation-section)
![AAVSO How to [Python! The basics]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7eMTgQuKGHA/mqdefault.jpg "AAVSO How to [Python! The basics]
Instructor: Lauren Herrington
This instruction is intended for people who have already installed Python: you can find a step-by-step guide to installing Python at the top of AAVSOs preparatory guide, Introduction to Basic Python: https://www.aavso.org/sites/default/files/AAVSO%20pdfs/AAVSO_Introduction_Python.pdf
2) We also recommend skimming through our preparatory guide (url is above).
Webinar description: An interactive session all about how to use Python for astronomy! Well start by reviewing the very basics of Python, from variables to functions. Next, well cover simple usage of a few of the most popular packages for doing astronomy with Python, including live demonstrations of how to manipulate data using Astropy, make beautiful graphs using Matplotlib, and data mine massive remote datasets using Astroquery. This How to Python! session will feature even more interactivity than a typical How to Session, as our instructor, Lauren Herrington, will be taking questions throughout. As the first of three webinars in the AAVSOs How to Python! webinar series, this webinar will set the stage for broadcasts to follow on the topics of asteroseismology and stellar evolution models. Dont miss it!
Interested in participating in the live How-to sessions? aavso.org/2022-how-to-hours")
