Chasing Ghosts of Summer: A Mid-Challenge Play-by-play of the DV Milky Way Challenge
A global community takes on the cosmos: The leaderboard is buzzing, and our shared celestial adventure is in full stride!
What an incredible journey we're on! This summer, the DWARF telescope community has embarked on an ambitious quest: The Dwarf Vision Summer Milky Way Challenge. Armed with our DWARF II and DWARF 3 Smart Scopes, we're setting out to capture some of the most iconic and breathtaking nebulae gracing the summer night sky.
This isn't just a casual stargazing session; it's an actual test of skill, patience, and perseverance, and it continues until mid-October! This post is a tribute to your dedication and the stunning results we have achieved, despite all odds.
The Play-by-Play: A Summer Under the Stars
The challenge kicked off with a burst of energy. Challengers like LaMar Eldredge jumped in with an enthusiastic, "Here we go again!" while newcomers like Angel Marinov from Bulgaria expressed excitement for the learning experience. The first targets began to roll in—the brilliant Lagoon Nebula (T1) and the Trifid Nebula (T3)—as our community started its collective journey.
As July progressed, the leaderboard became a dynamic story. We saw methodical progress from challengers like Antoine Weis, who meticulously catalogued each submission as "(my contribution X/20)". Then there were the power pushes, such as when Nancy Schwartz dropped posts listing ten new targets at once, demonstrating a focused determination that would eventually land her at the top, for most official captures overall.
But the journey wasn't always easy. For every triumphant post, there was a story of struggle. We felt the simple frustration in one-word summary of one challenger’s Rho Ophiuchi (target 2) capture: "meh." We shared the pain as Christopher Jones imagined the Trifid in stages over days as it "hugged the southern horizon," and as Michael Sullivan battled haze from Canadian wildfires that plagued his view of the Butterfly Cluster.
This is where the community's spirit truly shone. From his "driveway observatory in Mesquite Tx (bortle 9 sky)," Karl Jones showed incredible tenacity, fighting light pollution and even re-shooting targets after his scope confused GOTO commands. In Germany, Martin Schiefer waited patiently for the "weather god" to grant him a clear night for the Veil Nebula. And when the tricky coordinates for the Butterfly Nebula presented a challenge, Les Scott's post sparked a collaborative effort, with members sharing tips to help everyone lock in the elusive target.
The Unseen Opponent: Battling for Every Photon
As any challenger will tell you, the actual opponent isn't the person ahead of you on the leaderboard. It's the stubborn cloud cover, the pop-up summer storms, and the relentless glow of the full moon. It's the frustratingly short nights of the Northern Hemisphere summer, where, as Chayiana Morgan noted from Germany, it never gets truly dark. Every single image submitted has a story of perseverance behind it. They weren't just taken; they were earned.
Spotlight on Our Nebulous Targets
Here's a closer look at a few targets and the personal journeys our challengers took to capture them:
The Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380): This target became a quest for Antoine Weis. After stacking over seven hours of data, he triumphantly declared, "the wizard has finally revealed his face," a perfect example of dedication paying off.
The Veil Nebula (Cygnus Loop): A rite of passage for many, this was Christopher Zeitler's "first Mosaic," a learning experience that left him wishing he'd gathered even more data. Others, like Antoine Weis, took on the challenge of capturing the entire Cygnus Loop in one grand mosaic.
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000): A massive target perfect for the DWARF. Florian Wi showed us what's possible by re-processing nearly 10 hours of data to create a stunning final image, demonstrating that the journey with each target doesn't end at capture.
The Final Stretch: More Time, More Prizes, More Glory!
A huge congratulations are in order for our first five finishers, who have already received a $50 voucher each from DWARFLAB!
Nancy Schwartz
Les Scott
Amy Renae
Sergio Fattorini
Michael Sullivan
Now, with the vouchers claimed, we enter the next exciting phase. Let’s be clear: this is far from over! With the deadline set for mid-October, there is still plenty of time to get on the board, climb the ranks, and join the prestigious list of finishers, and get some Merch:
To celebrate every challenger who completes this celestial marathon, our incredible sponsor DWARFLAB is upping the ante. Thanks to the generosity of Sue Hsu at DWARFLAB, every single challenger who completes any of the 20 official targets from now until the end of the contest will receive exclusive DWARFLAB merchandise!
Get Shooting! TO THE TARGET LIST!
This is your chance to get out there. The nights are getting longer, the skies are getting darker, and some of the most beautiful objects in the challenge are now rising into perfect view. To all our participants, you are all Rising Stars! Thank you for making this a memorable and educational experience for the entire community!
Clear Skies!
From Duncan & DwarfVision
