The LodeStar Astronomy Center and The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) will co-host the fourth annual "Astro-Images of New Mexico: Portraits from the Foothills of Space" astrophotography contest and exhibition. The contest invites amateur photographers to submit their celestial images for an exhibition celebrating the beauty of New Mexico's skies.
Up to 30 works will be selected for display at the LodeStar Astronomy Center, located in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in Albuquerque. The exhibition will hang from October 2005 through February 2006.
Images submitted for consideration must have been created in New Mexico. The four submission categories are: Land and Sky; Plate/Film/Digital; CCD (very light-sensitive digital imaging); and Photo Illustration. The submission deadline is Friday, September 9,
2005.
Prizes will be awarded in all four categories. The grand prize for Best of Show is a stay at the internationally acclaimed guest observatory New Mexico Skies, located in Mayhill, New Mexico, near Cloudcroft. Prizewinners will be announced at the TAAS monthly lecture on Saturday, Oct. 15, to be held at LodeStar. Images chosen for exhibition and recognition will be selected by blind judging.
The panel of five judges consists of:
· John Sefick, a CCD imager of many years who has imaged at Chaco Canyon, on Mauna Kea, and in Australia. He has had his work published in national magazines such as Sky & Telescope.
· Judy Stanley, head of education, LodeStar, and a Project Astro astronomer, was awarded the 2004 John Dobson Award for Excellence in Public Astronomy Education.
· John Fleck, science writer, Albuquerque Journal, has written prolifically about all aspects of science, from dinosaurs to black holes, supercomputers to supernovae.
· Dr. Richard Rand, associate professor, UNM's Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research areas include galactic halos, interacting galaxies, starbursts, and magnetic fields in the Milky Way.
· Kris Haskins, photography instructor, New Mexico Tech, and amateur astronomer. His specialty is macro-photography.
Sponsors of the contest and exhibition include: AP-T Camera Repair, Camera & Darkroom, Forms Plus, Kurt's Camera Corral, New Mexico Skies and TJ's Camera & 1 Hour Photo.
Contest rules and entry forms are available at:
www.lodestar.unm.edu/events.html and www.taas.org/astroimages.html. For more information, contact Karen Keese at (505) 261-0040 or pr@taas.org.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821