Galilean Nights Astrophotography Competition
13 October 2009
Galilean Nights, a Cornerstone Project of the International Year of Astronomy to be held from 22 -24 October, will see people from around the world replicating Galileo's observations of the night sky. As part of this project an astrophotography competition, run by the Galilean Nights Task Group in partnership with Europlanet, has set astronomy enthusiasts the challenge of capturing the inspirational nature of our local solar neighbourhood. Competition winners will receive a Celestron SkyScout donated by ESA. Closing date for receipt of entries is 27 October 2009.The Galilean Nights astrophotography competition encourages anyone with an enthusiasm for astronomy to create their own inspirational photographs of our celestial backyard and consists of two categories 'Earth and Sky' and 'Beyond Earth'. All photographs must include a 'Galilean Object', for the purpose of this contest they are:
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The Sun
Venus
The Moon
Jupiter
Saturn
The Milky Way
The Pleiades (M45)
The Beehive Cluster (M44)
The Orion Nebula (M42)
In each category there will be one winner, one runner-up and one highly commended entry - all to be chosen by a panel of judges selected by Europlanet and the Galilean Nights Task Group. All photographs entered into the competition must have been taken between 17 and 27 October 2009 and must be submitted by 27 October 2009.
'Earth and Sky' category
The Earth and Sky category highlights the link between the Earth and our astronomical neighbourhood. Entries to this category must show part of the surface of the Earth with one or more of the Galilean Objects in the sky above. Any aspect of the Earth can be included such as, sweeping landscapes, buildings or even people. Use of a telescope is not permitted in this category.
'Beyond Earth' category
The Beyond Earth category gets closer to those far off astronomical objects. Entries to this category must show one or more of the Galilean Objects, but not show any aspect of the Earth. Use of a telescope up to 20cm (or 8 inches) is permitted in this category.
How to enter
To find out more information about how to enter and the rules of the competition visit the Galilean Nights competition website.
More about the 'Galilean Nights' Cornerstone project
The Galilean Nights Cornerstone Project for the International Year of Astronomy takes place from 22 - 24 October 2009. During this project observing events run by amateur and professional astronomers, and enthusiasts will provide people around the world with an opportunity to view our neighbouring planets with the aid of a telescope.
Galilean Nights will focus on the observations made 400 years ago by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. These include Jupiter and the Moon, which will both be well positioned in the night sky for observing during the event. Visit the Galilean Nights website to find out when and where your nearest activity will take place.