ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE STEREO CARD CONTEST
David Eicher posted at ASTRONOMY [23 October 2013)
Most readers of Astronomy know Brian May, Ph.D. astrophysicist and guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist of the legendary rock band Queen. Brian is a good friend of the magazine and serves on its Editorial Advisory Board. One of Brian’s interests, you may also know, is stereophotography (see the January 2012 issue of Astronomy).
Well, Brian and his London Stereoscopic Company have recently produced a second set of astronomically themed stereo cards that dramatically allow you to see objects in the universe in stunning 3-D. These cards, once a mainstay in homes everywhere, allow you to see and perceive depth in scenes you never could see in another way.
Brian’s set 2 of astronomical images contains a variety of astro subjects. Included are views of a color-enhanced Moon, a crescent Moon, a lunar eclipse, the constellation Orion, noctilucent clouds, a martian landscape, Comet Holmes, Comet Lulin, Comet Tempel 1 (with and without the flash from Deep Impact), Comet Wild 2, and impact scars on Jupiter from Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
For more on these 12 stereo cards, and the accompanying OWL stereo viewer that Brian designed, see the London Stereoscopic Company website at Londonstereo.com, and specifically http://www.londonstereo.com/shop_home3-astro.html.
THE CONTEST!
From now until the end of November, I’m delighted to say that Astronomy will run a contest in which five lucky winners will receive a set of Brian’s Series 2, Astronomy Stereo Cards, signed by Brian, along with an OWL viewer.
All you have to do to enter is to send a 200-word essay on what your favorite Queen song is and why. It doesn’t need to be limited to one written by Brian, but there’s plenty to choose from there — songs that you undoubtedly know and love. “We Will Rock You”? “Now I’m Here”? “Hammer to Fall”? “Tie Your Mother Down”? “Save Me”?
Or maybe it’s a song written by Freddie (“Bohemian Rhapsody”? “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”? “Killer Queen”?) or Roger Taylor (“I’m in Love with My Car”? “A Kind of Magic”? “Radio Ga Ga”?) or John Deacon (“Another One Bites the Dust”? “You’re My Best Friend”? “Friends Will Be Friends”?)
Whatever it is, we’ll judge who has the most convincing reasons to love their favorite Queen songs, and five winners will come away with signed astro cards from Brian.
To learn more about the contest and find out how to enter, check out www.Astronomy.com/OWL.
Good luck