(Presentations to be made at National Convention in Tucson, Arizona)

(Kansas City, MO)–The Astronomical League is pleased to announce the top finishers in the competitions for its National Young Astronomers Award Program (NYAA) and the Jack Horkheimer Award Program.

The first-place winner in the NYAA program is Andrew Hitchner, Norristown, Pennsylvania. His project was entitled “A Study in Stellar Spectroscopy.” Tongji Li, Hershey, Pennsylvania, was awarded second-place in this competition for her work “Will Humans Become Extinct Like the Dinosaurs Did?” Third place was awarded to Erika Tinley, Tucson, Arizona, for “The Geometry of Active Galactic Nuclei as Evidenced by their Emission Line Spectra.” The first-place winner receives an all-expenses- paid trip to ALCon 2010, the national convention of the Astronomical League, being held in late June in Tucson, Arizona. The top three finishers receive beautiful plaques to commemorate their outstanding achievements. The NYAA is generously supported by Explore Scientific, which also provides one of its great telescopes to the first-place winner.

Other top finishers in the National Young Astronomer Award Program include Stephen Argentati, Tucson, Arizona; Gayathri Cheran, Burke, Virginia; Summer Emmons, Trussville, Alabama; Travis Le, Aica, Hawaii; Caroline Moore, Warwick, New York; Megan Parsons, Fowler, Michigan; Christina Ramsey, Humble, Texas; and Megan Rosenberger, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. All top NYAA finishers receive a one-year complimentary membership in the International Dark Sky Association, an organization devoted to protecting the night sky.

(Presentations to be made at National Convention in Tucson, Arizona)

(Kansas City, MO)–The Astronomical League is pleased to announce the top finishers in the competitions for its National Young Astronomers Award Program (NYAA) and the Jack Horkheimer Award Program.

The first-place winner in the NYAA program is Andrew Hitchner, Norristown, Pennsylvania. His project was entitled “A Study in Stellar Spectroscopy.” Tongji Li, Hershey, Pennsylvania, was awarded second-place in this competition for her work “Will Humans Become Extinct Like the Dinosaurs Did?” Third place was awarded to Erika Tinley, Tucson, Arizona, for “The Geometry of Active Galactic Nuclei as Evidenced by their Emission Line Spectra.” The first-place winner receives an all-expenses- paid trip to ALCon 2010, the national convention of the Astronomical League, being held in late June in Tucson, Arizona. The top three finishers receive beautiful plaques to commemorate their outstanding achievements. The NYAA is generously supported by Explore Scientific, which also provides one of its great telescopes to the first-place winner.

Other top finishers in the National Young Astronomer Award Program include Stephen Argentati, Tucson, Arizona; Gayathri Cheran, Burke, Virginia; Summer Emmons, Trussville, Alabama; Travis Le, Aica, Hawaii; Caroline Moore, Warwick, New York; Megan Parsons, Fowler, Michigan; Christina Ramsey, Humble, Texas; and Megan Rosenberger, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. All top NYAA finishers receive a one-year complimentary membership in the International Dark Sky Association, an organization devoted to protecting the night sky.

The top finishers in the Jack Horkheimer Service Award program are: first-place for the Jack Horkheimer/Smith Award, Christian Borao, Stevenson Ranch, California. The first-place Jack Horkhheimer/Smith Award winner receives an all-expenses-paid trip to Alcon 2010. The first place winner of the Jack Horkheimer/D’Auria Award will be announced soon.  Caroline Moore, Warwick, New York, will be awarded the first-place Jack Horkheimer/Parker Award.

The first-place Jack Horkheimer/O’Meara Youth Journalism Award is being presented to Rizwan Siddiqui, Omaha, Nebraska. All four first-place finishers in the Horkheimer award program will be presented $1,000 checks, in addition to special plaques commemorating their achievements. The Horkheimer/Smith First Place winner will receive a fine telescope from Celestron, Inc. and all top finishers receive a complimentary one-year membership in the International Dark Sky Association.

About the Astronomical League
The Astronomical League is the largest group of amateur astronomers in the world. Its membership numbers more than 15,000 from 250 clubs and at-large memberships. Its mission for over 60 years has been to promote the science of astronomy by fostering astronomical education, by providing incentives for astronomical observation and research, and by assisting communication among amateur astronomical societies. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity.