Enter the Planetary Society's Cassini-Huygens art contest
What lies beneath the hazy atmosphere that envelops Saturn's moon, Titan? Is the surface of the moon dotted with seas of liquid ethane? Do icy crags stretch towards a dim orange sky where high noon is only as bright as 1/1000th the level of daylight on Earth? No one knows - yet.
The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission is currently in orbit around Saturn. On 14 January 2005 ESA's Huygens probe will plummet through the atmosphere to give us our first detailed look at Titan. Before the probe breaks through the clouds to image this mysterious moon, the Planetary Society, supported by ESA, invites you to imagine what Huygens will find and enter The Planetary Society's art contest.
How to enter
Create an artwork representing what you imagine Titan looks like underneath its haze, based on your perspective on Huygens's journey. Are you viewing the moon from the air after Huygens breaks through the cloud or on the surface after the craft has parachuted to a landing? Did Huygens land on solid ground or is she floating in an ethane sea? Send us your vision of what lies beneath the veil when you imagine Titan.
Once you have finished your artwork you can enter the contest online. You do not need to mail your work, just create it on the computer, take a digital photo or scan your artwork. However, if you are not able to enter the contest digitally, you can also mail it to us.
Contest questions and answers
Who can enter?
Anyone aged 10 and above may enter either in the youth section (aged 10-17) or the adult section (18 and over).
What kind of art can I create?
You can use any medium to create your artwork and then send us a digital image through the online entry form. You can also mail your art to us but please note that it should be no larger than 2.5 x 28 x 43 cm (1 x 11 x 17 inches) and that we cannot return artwork.
When does the contest end?
28 November 2004 at 23:59 Pacific time
What can I win?
The Grand Prize is a trip to Darmstadt, Germany, to be on site at ESA's European Space Operations Centre for the descent of the Huygens probe. There are also four first prizes (two for both sections) and up to 20 second prizes. The Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from among the first prize winners.
All the winning artwork will be displayed at ESOC during the Huygens mission to Titan and winners will all receive a Planetary Society prize package. This contains: one year's free Planetary Society membership; a Certificate of Honour; a Cassini-Huygens mission patch; an ESA poster, pin and keychain; and a 'Nine Planets' lithograph set.
In addition, two special prizes (one in each section) will be awarded for the artwork that most closely resembles any part of the image of the Titan panoramic landscape taken by the Huygens probe during its final descent. These awards, a framed and autographed Huygens photo of the Titan landscape, will be made within 30 days of the return of the actual Titan image data.
Mailing address for postal entries
Huygens Art Contest
The Planetary Society
65 N Catalina Ave.
Pasadena
CA 91106
USA
