RSAA News of the Month: December 2005
An Exceptional Combination of Art and Science
David Malin Awards Exhibition opens at Stromlo
A spectacular touring exhibition of some 30 award-winning astronomical
images taken by amateur and semi-professional photographers, including
six by an ANU staff member, will
be on display over the holiday period at Mt Stromlo Observatory. The images
depict the beauty of some of the best-known astronomical objects, and
are winners and "highly-commended" entries in the annual David
Malin Awards competition run by the Central West Astronomical Society
(CWAS). David
Malin is a world-renowned Australian astrophotographer and is the
competition judge.
The competition has three categories of
entry for both amateurs and semi-professionals — wide-field
(camera shots), deep sky (telescope shots) and solar system
objects. Entries were judged not only for their technical skill but
also their ability to capture the beauty of the sky and the intrinsic
interest of astronomy.
Opening the exhibition
Penny, doing the honours (left);
David, talking photography (centre);
Michael, "I started doing my developing in my cupboard" (right).
ANU Fitness
Centre Manager, Michael Sidonio, won the Amateur Deep Sky category
for capturing a “well-known object (the Trifid nebula) expertly
imaged with modest optical equipment. The digital processing is well
handled and the image is interestingly oriented and cropped to include
the rich surrounding star field”. Michael has five other images
in the exhibition.
CWAS hosts the awards and an exhibition in
Parkes as part of their AstroFest event in mid-July. The entries were
displayed in the CSIRO
Parkes Radio Telescope visitors centre during August, then the
very best images were selected to form a touring exhibition. The
exhibition featured at Sydney Observatory
during September through November, and will be at Stromlo through the
holiday season.
The exhibition was opened on 8 December by the Director of the
Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Professor Penny
Sackett and Mr David Malin. Michael Sidonio and the president
of CWAS, Bishop Chris Toohey, were also in attendance.
Left: David, "These images combine the best of
art and science".
Centre: Michael, explaining the art of astrophotography.
Right: Hermann Wehner, with the first family to visit
the exhibition.
Opening the exhibition, Penny pointed out the
ideal linkage between art and science that astronomical images
provide. They look spectacular and invite philosophical questions, but
also provide precise data on the physics and chemistry of the
Universe. She also acknowledged the close ties between amateur and
professional astronomy, pointing out that astronomy was possibly the
only science where amateurs make major contributions to current
research.
David spoke about the technical and artistic merit
of a selection of the images and the way in which astronomical imaging
technology has developed. This progression is well shown by comparing
the overall winner, an image of the 30Doradus region, with two images
mounted next to it; a sketch of the area made at the 48" Great
Melbourne Telescope in 1870 and a photograph taken with the Stromlo
74" telescope in 1957.
CWAS president Bishop Chris Toohey, Dr David Malin,
Michael Sidonio and Professor Penny Sackett
The exhibition is on show in the Stromlo Observatory visitors centre
every Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm. The centre is closed
on Christmas Day.
More images, see the CWAS report of the opening.
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