Capture the Universe with Phil Plait

By Nancy Atkinson - June 1, 2009 at 2:18 PM UTC | Site News

So, you think you're a great astrophotographer? Then this is for you: the

Bad Astronomer announced

today he is hosting an astrophotography contest, sponsored by Discover Magazine and

Celestron Telescopes

. Phil himself will be the judge, so all you need to do is figure out what images he really likes and then get snapping! There are some great prizes:
Grand Prize: Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope - Retail Value $1,399 One Runner-Up Prize: Celestron Axiom LX 31mm Eyepiece - Retail Value $399 One Viewer's Choice: Celestron FirstScope – Retail Value $49.99

Read the rules and enter here

. The only stickler-type rule is that the images need to be taken with Celestron equipment, but the contest runs from today (June 1) through June 30. Good luck to everyone, and I can't wait to see all the images!

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com