TriStar 2026

Tri*Star* 2026 -- The Triad Star Festival,  is April 11th and will once again be held in the Koury Auditorium on the main campus of Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC.

Tri*Star* -- The Triad Star Festival, is a  one-day conference presented by Greensboro Astronomy Club and hosted on the main campus of Guilford Technical Community College. It has been held annually since 2001. The conference features presentations by astronomy researchers, educators and enthusiasts, along with Dennis Hands Memorial Astroimaging Contest and prize drawings. The event is free and open to the public. 

This year's schedule:
8:30 a.m. - Doors open

9:15 a.m. – Welcome and announcements

9:30 a.m. – Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope  - Charlotte Wood, NC A&T 

10:30 a.m. – Break

11 a.m. – Imaging with Unistellar telescope -  Joe Heafner, Independent scholar

Noon - Lunch Break, Solar Observing (weather permitting)

2 p.m. –  Argus Array - Hank Corbett, UNC-CH 

3 p.m. – Break

3:30 p.m. – Artemis program and our return to the Moon  -- Doug Lively, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

4:30 p.m. – Final announcements, astrophotography winners and prize drawings

Show off your images! The Greensboro Astronomy Club will stage the Dennis Hands Memorial Astro-imaging Contest at this year's event. Bring your best images (limit 3) taken since March 2024. Categories for judging: Deep Sky, Solar System, and Other. There are no prizes for the winners, only bragging rights. (Isn't that the best prize??)

RULES AND PROCEDURES

Images must be the property, creation, and processing of the entrant.

1. Images must have been created since March 3, 2025.
2. Entrant must complete an entry form for each image submitted. The image and entry form must be submitted to the judges between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Forms will be available on-site or may be requested from chief judge Paul Patterson.
3. No entry will be accepted after 9:30 a.m.
4. Each registered participant of TriStar 2025 will receive three tickets representing one vote each. They may then award each ticket to one image per category or multiple tickets to an image by placing each in the designated container.
5. Voting will open at 10:30 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m.
6. Judges under the direction of Paul Patterson will count the tickets/votes. The image in each category with the most tickets at 3 p.m. is that category's winner.

NOTE: PRE-ORDERS for TRISTAR 2026 have concluded. There will be limited availability at the event. Check with the GAC table to inquire.

IF YOU PRE-ORDERED A T-SHIRT, PLEASE VISIT THE GAC TABLE TO PICK UP YOUR ORDER. ANY UNPAID ORDERS MUST BE PICKED UP BY THE END OF LUNCH. UNPAID ORDERS WILL BE RELEASED FOR SALE. THERE WILL BE EXTREMELY LIMITED ADDITIONAL T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE.

If you pre-ordered a shirt and have not yet paid, you can use a credit or debit card; please use the appropriate button below  (there is a $1 service fee included in the price of each item). Use the following links for card payment. 

Men's t-shirt (crew neck) $25 pre-order ($30 day of event) 

Women's t-shirt (v-neck) $25 pre-order ($30 day of event) 

Sweatshirts (crew neck) $35 pre-order ($40 day of event)
Note: 2X (XXL) and 3X (XXXL) sizes are an additional $2.

More information can be found on the GTCC TriStar event page 

Have a question or suggestion?  Email Steve Desch, GTCC professor.