Veterans Short Course program
Log 00 · Mission Brief
From service
to the stars.
Astrophotography rewards exactly the skills the military already gave you — patience, precision, and the discipline to keep going when the first ten attempts don't work. This is a complete training program, built equipment-first and instructor-led, and structured around the Veterans Affairs Canada Education and Training Benefit.
Log 01 · Why Veterans Excel At This
Skills you already have. A sky you haven't explored.
Astrophotography isn't a passive hobby — it's a demanding, technical pursuit that happens to take place under the stars. Whether you're coming to it through a love of photography or looking for a new kind of challenge, it draws on the same habits that defined your service.
Patience
A single image can take six hours of unattended exposure, and the best ones take a dozen nights to finish. This hobby moves at the pace of the sky, not your schedule.
Technical ability
You'll run a camera, a guiding computer, and an imaging rig as one coordinated system — closer to an equipment check than a snapshot.
Mechanical understanding
Polar alignment, balance, cabling, backlash. A telescope mount rewards the same hands-on instinct you'd bring to any piece of field equipment.
Troubleshooting
Tracking drifts. Connections drop. Clouds roll in mid-sequence. Every session is a small diagnostic exercise, and every fix makes the next one faster.
Attention to detail
Processing a deep-sky image in PixInsight is precision work — calibration frames, noise reduction, stretch curves, star colour. Small decisions change the final result.
A new way to express yourself
Astrophotography never stops teaching you something new — and the image at the end of it is yours. A different kind of mission, with a different kind of objective.
Log 02 · The Program
A training program built 100% around VAC eligibility
Every package in this program was designed against the Veterans Affairs Canada Education and Training Benefit criteria from day one — not adapted after the fact. The equipment, the instruction, and the support are all structured to qualify as a Short Course.
Justifiable equipment
A telescope, telescope mount, camera, and the accessories needed to actually use them — selected and supplied by Ontario Telescope.
Two hours, one-on-one, with Ron Brecher
Private instruction on processing your images in PixInsight, from one of Canada's most published astrophotographers. PixInsight is licensed separately by the participant. A free 45-day trial is available at pixinsight.com.
Technical support from Ontario Telescope
Setup help, troubleshooting, and ongoing support after your training is complete — so the equipment keeps working long after the course does.
Log 03 · Choose Your Package
Training packages
Every package below is eligible for VAC Short Course funding and includes the full program: equipment, training, and support.
[Package name]
[$ CAD]- [Telescope model]
- [Mount model]
- [Camera model]
- [Accessories]
- 2 hrs training with Ron Brecher
- Ontario Telescope technical support
[Package name]
[$ CAD]- [Telescope model]
- [Mount model]
- [Camera model]
- [Accessories]
- 2 hrs training with Ron Brecher
- Ontario Telescope technical support
[Package name]
[$ CAD]- [Telescope model]
- [Mount model]
- [Camera model]
- [Accessories]
- 2 hrs training with Ron Brecher
- Ontario Telescope technical support
Log 04 · Your Instructor
Trained by Ron Brecher
Ron Brecher is one of Canada's most recognized astrophotographers, based in Guelph, Ontario. Over more than two decades behind the eyepiece and the camera, his images and writing have appeared in Sky & Telescope, BBC Sky at Night, and other major astronomy publications, and he's a widely respected teacher of PixInsight image processing.
Every package in this program includes two hours of one-on-one instruction directly with Ron — built around your images, on your equipment.
More about Ron at astrodoc.ca →Log 05 · How To Unlock Your VAC Funding
Funding this course is simpler than you think
Want to take this course through the VAC program but not sure where to start? No stress.
Here's the straightforward four-step path — which forms to fill out, and how to unlock the funding you've earned.
Confirm your eligibility
Submit Form VAC 1537, the Education and Training Benefit Application, through My VAC Account or by mail. This tells VAC your years of service and unlocks your total funding entitlement.
Receive your funding confirmation
Once VAC 1537 is approved, you'll receive a letter confirming your total Education and Training Benefit entitlement, and how much of it is available for Short Course funding.
Submit your Short Course application
Complete Form VAC 1549, the Short Course Application, and attach proof of enrolment. Contact Ontario Telescope and we'll send you the invoice or letter you need to include.
Receive funding & begin training
VAC pays your approved funding directly to you. Use it to purchase your package, and your training with Ontario Telescope and Ron Brecher begins.
Need the full picture? Read the official VAC Education and Training Benefit Applicant Guide — see "Submit your education plan – Short course" for full detail, including deadlines and required documents.
Ontario Telescope and Accessories is an independent Canadian retailer and training provider. We are not affiliated with, and do not represent, Veterans Affairs Canada. Eligibility and funding amounts are determined solely by VAC — please confirm your specific entitlement directly through My VAC Account or by calling 1-866-522-2122.
Log 07 · Request Your Letter
Get your Letter of Intent
Pick your package and enter your details below. We'll email you a Letter of Intent confirming your enrolment — ready to attach to your VAC Short Course application (Form VAC 1549).
Log 06 · Frequently Asked Questions