I’ve commented before, dark skies really make a big difference. When I shared the images I captured during my trips to Chile’s Atacama desert, I marveled at their clear, dark, skies (6 of them in a row – during both year’s trips!) I’m very proud to say that my Milky Way image from this year’s trip was recognized by the Astronomical League’s Williamina Fleming Imaging Award and my Fighting Dragons of Ara from last year’s trip (also recognized by the Astronomical League) was selected as Photo of the Month by the Webb Deep Sky Society!
Atacama Milky Way panorama – 1st Place Wide Field
I submitted the image above – a horizon to horizon panorama of the Milky Way, captured from the San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations (SPACE) Atacama Lodge – to the 2025 Astronomical League’s Williamina Fleming Imaging Award competition in the Wide Field category. I was notified that I’d been awarded First Place! I received the award plaque in the mail this past weekend because I won’t be able to attend the Annual Convention in Bryce Canyon City, Utah to receive it in person.
The image and its capture information are shown and described in the Milky Way gallery page Milky Way over SPACE Atacama Lodge Chile 2025
NGC 6188 Rim Nebula (a.k.a. Fighting Dragons of Ara) – 2024 Williamina Fleming 1st Place Deep Sky & June 2025 Webb Deep Sky Society Picture of the Month
During my 2024 trip to Chile, I captured the Rim Nebula (a.k.a. Fighting Dragons of Ara)
The NGC 6188 Fighting Dragons image was awarded 1st Place in the 2024 Astronomical League’s Williamina Fleming Imaging Award’s Deep Sky category!
Then, in mid-May 2025, I received an email from James Whinfrey, Webmaster of the Webb Deep Sky Society. He had selected my NGC 6188 Fighting Dragons to be the web site’s June Picture of the Month! If you go to the Webb Deep Sky Society website while we’re still in June 2025 – you’ll see the image on their home page! After that, it will be in their Picture of the Month archive. A HUGE thanks to James for finding and recognizing my image and honoring it this way!!
Following in footsteps…
I have to close with another thanks…to my friend, astrophotography mentor, and former MITRE colleague; Ann Chavtur (Ann Chavtur Photography). She introduced me to the Astronomical League’s Williamina Fleming award, shortly after I joined the Colorado Springs Astronomy Club, and has led the way in all these awards.
In 2022, Ann won 1st place in the Rich Field (201–500 mm) category for her Rosette Nebula image captured from her home in Monument, Colorado and tied with Terry Mann for runner-up in the Wide Field (200mm or less) competition for her “Milky Way Panorama” taken at Eleven Mile State Park in Colorado. See the Astronomical League’s Reflector, September 2022 for the description of that year’s awards.
In 2023, Ann won 1st Place while I was her runner-up for the Deep Sky (>500mm) imaging award. The Astronomical League’s Reflector, September 2023 gives a listing of all the award winners. Ann’s winning images were of the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635), Thor’s Helmet (NGC 2359, shown on p.16), and the Tadpole Nebula (NGC 1893), taken from her home in Monument, Colorado. My runner-up images included the Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula, the West Veil Nebula (NGC 6960), and the Great Nebula in Orion (M42). (It seems as if they gave us the award for the grouping of our entries – although they told me it was my Horsehead Nebula that had received the award.)
In 2024, Ann won 1st Place in the Wide Field (<200mm) with her image of the Milky Way arch. taken at Big Bend National Park. The winning image was a total of 128 images forming 13 frames that were stitched into the panorama using Microsoft Image Composite Editor. While Bonnie Ryder and I, both from CSASTRO, tied for first place honors in the Deep Sky (>500mm) category! Bonnie’s winning image was of the IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula, taken over six nights from her home in Colorado. Mine was of NGC 6188, the Rim Nebula or the Fighting Dragons of Ara, taken from the Atacama Lodge in Chile. See the Astronomical League’s Reflector, September 2024 for the description of that year’s awards.
Finally, in 2025 Ann won 1st Place in the Rich Field (201-500mm) category, while I won 1st Place in the Wide Field (<200mm) for my Milky Way panorama …and yes, not that I’m competitive (okay, you know I am!) but I have purchased a 0.7 reducer to turn my 600mm “travel” telescope into a 460mm so I can compete in the Rich Field category with my Chile images next year!!