Ron Dantowitz (Sharper Images Through Video) is the Director of the Clay Center Observatory at Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. His primary interests are astronomy education and developing techniques for ultra-high resolution telescopic imaging. Ron's efforts have produced some of the sharpest ground-based optical images of the moon and planets to date, with resolutions approaching 0.1 second of arc.

Atmospheric turbulence destroys most efforts at taking high resolution astronomical images. In this presentation, Ron will review several techniques which use off-the-shelf equipment to allow an observer to capture diffraction-limited images despite atmospheric turbulence. Discussions will include the selection and use of video cameras, VCRs, filters and processing routines in the imaging process. Techniques will focus on high-resolution planetary and lunar imaging, with extensions into deep-sky imaging. Ground-based images presented will include: impacts (and mare) on the "unknown" hemisphere of Mercury, various areas of the Moon captured at 130 meters (430 feet) per pixel, details on the Galilean satellites, the moons and rings of Saturn, proplyds in M42, the pulsar in M1 and daytime telescopic images of the modules and solar panels on the International Space Station.