SMART Telescope Book Submissions

John Read is writing his next book… and YOU could be included!

John's upcoming book, 50 100 Things to See with a Smart Telescope, will feature photos taken by members of the LEARN TO STARGAZE community— and you have the chance to be included! Submit your own smart telescope images for a chance to be featured.

Any images used will be credited, and the contributor will receive a free copy of the book!

Here are the targets I’m currently missing:

Circumpolar:

  • NGC 3184 (Little Pinwheel)

  • M97 and M108 in same FOV

  • NGC 3718

  • Splinter Galaxy ( NGC 5907)

  • Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946) & NGC 6939 Mosaic


Summer / Fall

  • M22

  • Cave Nebula

  • Soul Nebulae

  • Cat’s Paw Nebula

  • M5

  • M10 and M12 (Mosaic?)

  • M11

  • C57 (Barnard’s Galaxy

  • M2

  • NGC 253 (Sculptor Galaxy)

  • M74 (Phantom Galaxy)

  • NGC 891


Winter:

  • Galaxy C5 (IC 342)

  • Witches Head

  • Flaming Star Nebula (in Auriga)

  • M78 (near Orion)

  • NGC 2170

  • JellyFish Nebula

  • Christmas Tree (Cone) Nebula


Spring

  • NGC 2903

  • Hickson 44 (NGC 3187)

  • Leo Treo (M65)

  • Needle Galaxy #1 NGC 4244

  • Needle Galaxy #2 NGC 4565

  • Hockey Stick and Whale (NGC 4631 / C32)

  • M3 (Globular)

Other:

  • Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Uranus, Neptune,

  • Milky Way (Wide Field)

  • Star Trails (Wide Field)

Submission Parameters:

  • Submit by March 30th. 2026 if This page is up I am still accepting submissions.

  • Photo must be taken on a smart telescope.

  • A single contributor may only submit a SINGLE photo of any target, but may submit as many targets as they want. We cannot accept more than one photo per target, so select your BEST shot.

  • If submitting more than one target, please submit a separate form for each target.

  • Photos should only make use of the data that was captured in the original photo (stretched and colour corrections are accepted).

  • No generative AI photos will be accepted. All photos must be captured and processed by the contributor.

  • No photos of the Sun or Moon

  • Currently, we’ve only received one submission from the southern hemisphere, so I think the southern hemisphere will require its own book. This book will be northern hemisphere centric.

  • All seasons welcomed.

Submission Requirements:

To be considered, in the form below be sure to include:

  • Your full name and an email that you check regularly so that we can reach out if we have questions.

  • Single Photo of a Target: A photo of the target. Ideally, files are TIFFs or PNG. Jpg & jpeg are accepted. In the description box specify the photo acquisition details, where and when the photo was taken, and exposure time.

  • Single Photo of Setup at night: A photo of the photography setup captured at the time you’ve taken the astro-image, and a description of the setup, including : the telescope, and any other pieces of equipment you used to capture the image, as well as number of stacked images and exposure. Ideally, this should be a 30 second exposure of your smart telescope with stars in the background.

  • Story : A 150-300 word story about this photo. Were there adventures or misadventures? Were you camping? Were there any wild animals? Did your friend/relative join you for the first time?

    Example:

“I took this photo in Mount Diable State Park. I went to throw something in the trash, and a racoon jumped out of the garbage can, hissing, and pawing. I was terrified. But then it slinked away behind the restrooms.”

 

Submission Form