Hubble the Democrat!

I've often remarked that astronomy is a very democratic discipline - here we have the proof. As part of the International Year of Astronomy, the good folks at Hubble are inviting the public to vote for one out of six targets at which to point the telescope in early spring. There are three galaxies, a starforming region and two nebulae. In their words:

"Hubble's Next Discovery -- You Decide" is part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's observations. People around the world can vote to select the next object the Hubble Space Telescope will view. Choose from a list of objects Hubble has never observed before and enter a drawing for one of 100 new Hubble pictures of the winning object. The winning image will be released between April 2 and 5, during the IYA's 100 Hours of Astronomy, a global astronomy event geared toward encouraging as many people as possible to experience the night sky. Vote by March 1 to swing Hubble toward your favorite target.

Come and vote here.

(Credit: APOD.)

Personally, I don't think they should be showing which is in what place. If someone's favourite isn't doing well, they'll probably choose a different one instead. That's not quite as democratic as I'd have hoped. Oh well . . .

Just in case that isn't quite enough voting for you, if you're a member of the Galaxy Zoo Forum, come and nominate your favourite weird galaxy for the Hubble Heritage Team to consider studying here.

Hat tip: Bill Keel on the Galaxy Zoo Forum.