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Point the Hubble: Group Announces Image Contest
By Daniel Sorid
Staff Writer
posted: 04:03 pm ET
01 May 2000
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hubble_heritage_000501 If you've ever wanted to try your hand at pointing a multibillion-dollar space telescope at the object of your choice, you now have an opportunity. The Hubble Heritage Project is accepting suggestions about which celestial objects the grandiose Hubble Space Telescope will investigate in August 2000. Votes will be accepted until June 6th at the Hubble Heritage Project's website. Astronomers will then select the best submission -- judged on its feasibility, scientific interest and potential for a great snapshot.
Last year's winner: the Hickson Compact Galaxy Group
The Hubble Heritage Project is an organization of astronomers who assemble and release pictures of space from the Hubble Space Telescope. In April, they released images of an unusual planetary nebula, a gas cloud ejected from a hot star thousands of years ago. "The goal is to make more of this data and this imagery available to the public," said Cheryl Gundy, a spokeswoman for the project.
Planetary Nebula NGC 6751
This is the third time the project has opened up its process to the public. Twice previously the public has voted on a selection of possible targets. Last year, the Hickson Compact group of galaxies, held together by each other's gravitational force, won the vote. This year the process is more open-ended, with the public allowed to name their own target -- whether a star, cluster, nebula or galaxy. Planets are excluded. "We will review all of those suggestions and make a determination at the end of June," Gundy said. The image should be processed and published in October.
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