It turned out to be an almost perfect night at 10,460 feet, site of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory for the MRO High Altitude Astrophotography Contest and star party. A group of about 40 enthusiasts convoyed up to Magdalena Ridge in time for a tour of the 2.4-meter Telescope and the Interferometer array and Beam Combining Building. After a meal barbecued on the observatory grill it was time to head outside, set up, and start observing. Most of the star party participants opted to just observe and take in the beautiful night sky. But a few managed to snap some beautiful images and it paid off for them!
Magdalena Ridge Observatory along with New Horizon’s West and Enchanted Skies Star Party are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s astrophotography contest. There were two 1st place winners. Congratulations to both winners and we hope to see you all next year!
Both winners will receive:
- One week of free stay at Rancho Hidalgo for two
- Their photo featured in Astronomy Magazine
- A gift certificate to Starizona in the sum of $375
1st place winners
| Donald Beckert Photo: Lagoon Nebula M8 from Magdalena Ridge Instrument/method: Through narrow band H-alpha (Red Stacked 4 second exposures), O-III (Green Stacked 8 second exposures), H-Beta (Blue Stacked 10 second exposures). Taken with Meade DSI-1 camera and an Orion 8″ f/5 Newtonian on an Atlas-EQ mount. |
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| Robb Walker Photo: MRO Horizon to Horizon Instrument/method: Canon 40D DSLR with Canon 14mm f/2.8L lens on a tripod. Combination of 13 images with exposures: f/3.5 @15 seconds @ISO 1600. |
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