NJAA Photo Contest Concept and Guidelines

Xactstudios is sponsoring an Astronomical Photography contest open to all NJAA members. The objective is to encourage the use of some of our best equipment, thus images will only be accepted if any or all of the following NJAA Club Equipment is used during capture:

  • Celestron CGE series or CGE Pro series equatorial mount(s)
  • Meade RCX400 (mount or mount/ota combo)
  • Takahashi TOA130
  • Zenith Star OTA
  • Canon 20da or OTHER Digital SLR used in conjunction with #1 and #2
  • SBIG Camera or Meade Deep Sky Pro
The above equipment can be accessed by any NJAA member who has received QO training and is maintained by the research committee. To inquire about training for any of these items, contact the research chair Steve Smith or come by on a Sunday when the research committee is present. Note, any member can observe the operation of this equipment but training can only be made available to those who have first obtained QO training. Any questions regarding use of the reservation calendar can be addressed by Steve Gale. All NJAA equipment is available for use on public nights, demonstrating the high calibre of club resources to the public is a big plus.

It is requested of participants that a snapshot of the equipment setup be provided with all entries for use in the AstroNotes to help raise awareness of the facilities members have at their disposal. A quick write up detailing the capture and process, suitable for the AstroNotes, is also requested with every submission. We are looking for at least 4 people to participate to keep the level of competition reasonable.

All entries are to be submitted by Dec 31, 2009. While max resolution is important for the final print, submissions are to be no less than 8" x 10" at 120 ppi, jpeg for easy viewing and transport.

Prize for the winning image is $250, the NJAA will be rewarded the same for its sponsorship.