February-March 2000 : Meade 9.5mm Series 3000 Plossl Eyepiece This contest is CLOSED

<click for larger image> How about this for a great prize?! In our February-March 2000 contest we gave away a brand new Meade 9.5mm Plossl eyepiece for 1.25" eyepiece adaptors which was graciously donated by Oceanside Photo and Telescope. If you're curious about the magnification this eyepiece would provide take your telescope's focal length and use this handy utility: <inches > ~ <millimeters >

The questions:

1) Which of the following is NOT a "Galilean satellite"?

Possible answers:

Europa Io Ganymede Titan Callisto

2) Saturn has a complex system of rings that orbit the planet. In this system of rings there are spaces between the rings creating visible "divisions" that separate one set of rings from another. Which of these names is the name for one of those divisions?

Possible answers:

Einstein Cassini Hubble Chandra Hawking

3) A light-year is:

Possible answers:

the distance the Earth travels in a year. similar to a regular year, only shorter. the distance a galaxy travels in a year. how far light travels in a year. the amount of time it takes for sunlight to reach the Earth.

The correct answers:

Image courtesy of SEDS Question #1: Titan - The Galilean satellites are those moons that were discovered orbiting Jupiter by Galileo in 1610. They are Europa, Ganymede, Io and Callisto. Titan is the largest moon of the planet Saturn. Image courtesy of SEDS Question #2: Cassini - There are several divisions or gaps in the ring system of the planet Saturn. The gap between the prominent A and B rings is called the "Cassini Division" after Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625-1712) who discovered it and four other Saturnian moons in his studies of this ringed planet. Image courtesy of HST/STSCI Question #3: How far light travels in a year - A "light-year" is the distance that a photon of light travels in a year through empty space and is one of the common distance measurements used in astronomy. Example: The Keyhole Nebula, seen to the left, is about 8000 light-years from us. One light year is approximately equal to 5.9 trillion miles.

The winner: Mike W. of Middletown, Ohio

The runner-ups: Claude L. & Steve H.

the @stro contest rules and terms

1. Void where prohibited by law.
2. The contest will be over and closed to new entrants on 12:01am PST, March 15th, 2000.
3. Only ONE entry will be accepted per name/email address. Please respect this. Proven repeated entries from the same person will result in your expulsion from current and future contests.
4. the @stro pages will pay USPS 1st Class postage anywhere within the United States of America. If you are not a US resident or wish this prize to be shipped outside of the US, you MUST verify that you will pay for shipping outside the US when you press the "Enter the Contest" button by choosing "Yes, I agree to pay for shipping" above. The terms of shipping this prize will be verified with you via email should you win and you will have the option of declining payment of any shipping fees, but you will disqualify your win and the prize will go to the next runner-up. Payment for shipping fees must be drawn in US Funds (personal checks must clear, money orders preferred). We are not responsible for damage or loss to this item in transit.
5. Your email address will NEVER be purposely given to entities outside the @stro pages. However, these email addresses will be compiled into a list for future periodic mailings (details below) from the @stro pages. You can be removed at any time from these mailings simply by following the unsubscribe instructions found on the bottom of these email messages. You will be permanently removed from the list unless you re-enter a future contest.
6. The primary pool of valid entries will be compiled from entries that have ALL of the answers correct. If there are NO emails with all of the answers correct a pool of entries containing the most correct answers will be compiled and drawn from. If there are no entries with any correct answers the pool of entries drawn upon will be all emails submitted. Three entries will be randomly selected (probably from a hat) to determine the winner - a primary winner and two runner-ups. In the event that the primary winner is unable to take possession of the prize for whatever reason, the next runner-up will receive it, and so on. If there are no entries, we'll put it up on eBay and make a buck. :o)
7. Contest rules, terms and conditions are subject to change at any time and for any reason.
8. We reserve the right to discontinue this contest at any time and for any reason.
9. The winner will be notified via email of their good fortune on or about March 15th, 2000.
10. Reasonable research has been done to ensure that the questions made sense and the answer is correct, but neither is open for discussion. Basically, we're sorry if you didn't understand the questions, but they stand as-is. Feel free to email for clarification of the question or answers BEFORE you press "Enter the Contest". The final determination of the correctness of the question or answer is entirely at the discretion of the @stro pages and is subject to change without notice.
11. Under no circumstances will the @stro pages be held liable for any damages that arise from the holding of this contest. You enter this contest at your own risk and no promises, explicit or implied, are offered as to your winning or losing status.
12. This is for fun, so please make it that way and don't abuse it.

about the periodic mailings: We hate spam. We are not going to send you unwanted emails day in and day out. When you enter this contest you will be added to the @stro newsletter mailing list for updates about the website. The periodic newsletter mailings will most likely consist of (but are not limited to) notices about new features and future contests that will be provided by the @stro pages and will not likely occur more than once a month. You can be removed at any time from these mailings simply by following the unsubscribe instructions found on the bottom of these email messages or by going to the index page and using the unsubscribe utility found there. You will be permanently removed from the mailing list unless you enter another contest in the future.

question or problem?

Please contact us via email if you have any questions regarding this contest, its rules, or terms.

Thanks for entering!

Roger