The ladies of CSASTRO, the Colorado Springs Chapter of the Astronomical League, took the top spots in the league's 2023 Williamina Fleming Imaging Awards' Deep Sky category
2023 Astronomical League Williamina Fleming Imaging Award - Deep Sky Category
2023 Astronomical League Williamina Fleming Imaging Award - Deep Sky Category
As you can see from the Reflector magazine write-up pictured above, the Colorado Springs Chapter of the Astronomical League (CSASTRO) was well-represented on the league’s “podium” of imaging awards this year!
Ann Chavtur took home several awards last year for her amazing images, introducing me to the award and motivating me to throw my hat into the ring this year. During this year’s competition, she made the judges’ job extremely difficult in trying to decide which of her three fabulous images were the best of the best. She ultimately ended up in a three-way tie with herself for first place honors!
I was amazed and honored to have my images recognized – and it’s especially fun that the two of us are on the same “page.” We become fast friends and astrophotography processing collaborators (actually Ann as mentor/Suzanne as mentee) from a chance meeting during a CSASTRO astrophotography session (and then discovered that we worked for the same company – but had never formally met there!)
The Winning Images...
Ann’s winning image of NGC2359 Thor’s Helmet (the one of her three amazing images that she chose to be the #1 since the judges couldn’t decide!!) is shown on page 16 of the September edition of the Reflector Magazine, here: https://www.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/September-2023-Reflector-Pages.pdf
Ann’s website with not only her awe-inspiring deep space images, but also phenomenal bird, landscape, and night landscape images is here: https://achavtur.myportfolio.com/ Take a look at all her fabulous artistic work, including the other images that tied for first with herself for this year’s Williamina Fleming award (NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula and NGC1893 Tadpole Nebula)!
When I was notified that I was selected for the award, the league representative told me it was for the Horsehead and Flame image shown below (https://beersastrophotography.com/gallery/b33-ic434-horsehead-ngc2024-flame-nebulae/ ) The other two images that I submitted, that apparently I tied with myself for runner-up (!?!) are M42 Orion (https://beersastrophotography.com/gallery/m42-orion-nebula/ ) and NGC6960 West Veil “Witch’s Broom” Nebula ( https://beersastrophotography.com/gallery/ngc6960-west-veil-witchs-broom-nebula/ )
