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Solar Voyager hosts one of the largest collections of Space Art on the internet today. We are pleased to bring you a diverse assortment of work from a variety of talented artists. New additions to the site are made on a regular basis. This is a non-profit gallery, created for the sole purpose of displaying these incredible astronomical works of art in an organized and attractive fashion.
We hope you enjoy Solar Voyager - feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, etc. Please refer to the FAQ (below) for more information.
Email may be sent to the following address:
sysopNOSPAM@solarvoyager.com (remove the "NOSPAM")
Submissions
We feature space art from both amateurs and professionals alike. Our Member's Gallery (located in the forum area) is open for all site members to submit and display their work. It is an excellent place to receive comments and critiques from peers. We encourage everyone to get involved with this area; it is the driving-force behind the site. Even if you are not an artist, feel free to share your comments and insights about the images posted by others. This interaction allows everyone to improve and fosters a sense of community. You can learn how to post your own images in the Member's Gallery via this link.
Image Guidelines
This site is dedicated to Space and Astronomical artwork. Not every piece in the gallery is scientifically accurate, but many of them are. The others are of a realistic nature. Image submissions (postings) should not be overly-abstract, or science-fiction oriented. Browsing the current images in the gallery will give you a general idea of what is acceptable. Images which disregard these guidelines may be removed at the administrator's discretion.
A more concise definition of "Space Art" may also be useful, for which we will defer to a true veteran of the field, David A. Hardy, who writes:
"For the newcomer to astronomical art, it is important to understand what it is - and is not. The term "space art" is also sometimes used to describe this genre; there is no real difference, except that the latter term usually encompasses art that includes hardware (spacecraft and other vehicles) and figures such as astronauts, while "astronomical art" is more likely to depict purely landscapes and/or objects and bodies in space, such as planets, moons, stars, galaxies, etc.
The essential thing about this type of art is that it must be based on an informed knowledge of the universe. That is, the artist must have either studied astronomy and have a fair knowledge of other scientific disciplines, such as chemistry, physics, geology and some mathmatics, or at least have a leaning towards these subjects and be willing (indeed eager) to learn. This is what makes our form of art different from science fiction and fantasy, where the artist exercises his/her imagination without as much reference to scientific reality."
Acknowledgements
~ A special thanks goes out to Gary Tonge for contributing many of our site graphics (such as our link buttons) and being generally supportive of the site since the beginning.
~ Thanks also to our wonderful members, who created all of the revolving images you have encountered on our front page!
~ The forum smileys we created by Mike, who is a Graphic Designer from Virginia, and used with permission here. Further alterations and additions by Hawkeye.
Technical Details
The forum engine used on this site is the Web Wiz Forums, version 7.51. In addition to this, we are also running a highly modified version of the ASPInvision Portal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long has the site existed?
Solar Voyager was established on December 17, 2000.
How is this site paid for?
The hosting and annual fees for this website are privately funded. We do not advertise or request donations from our visitors. We only ask that you support the site by spreading the word to others who may be interested!
Can I link to this website?
Absolutely! A standard text link is fine, but if you prefer a graphic link, you can find those here.
Can images from this site be used for my project?
Copyright Information:
The design and layout of this site is copyrighted by Solar Voyager. The artistic images on this website are copyright of the artists who created them (noted in each section) and are presented here by them, or with their permission. The images are not to be copied or used in any form without permission of the artist. You can find contact information in their respective archive sections, or via a member's profile, and must contact them directly for usage requests.
Why is there an "Archive" area?
The archive consists primarily of artwork collected during the first two and a half years of the website's operation. At that point, we switched to a member-driven display format, where members were given the ability to directly post images to the website. This eliminated much of the manual work (and time delays) involved with bringing new images online. Artwork posted previous to this point was then archived. As a courtesy to the artists represented in the archive, we will continue to update their respective areas upon direct request, but no additions will be solicited. All artists, including those with archived work, are encouraged to post images directly into the Member's Gallery.
What is the recommended system configuration for best viewing?
Solar Voyager is optimized for a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 and the highest color setting your system will support. If your system supports it, you can enhance your online experience by turning on the font smoothing options. Examples of this are ClearType for Windows XP or the built-in font smoothing of Mac OS X.
What type of scripting is used on the website?
This site is ASP-based for most functions, with a small amount of Java used as well.
What tools were used to create the site?
The design and graphics were done primarily with Adobe Photoshop 7. The layout is done with a standard text editor.
I see the logo for the IAAA displayed prominently here. Can you tell me about the organization?
The IAAA is the International Association of Astronomical Artists. The object of the IAAA, as a non-profit foundation, is to implement and participate in astronomical and space art projects, to promote education about astronomical art and to foster international cooperation in artistic work inspired by the exploration of the Universe. I am a member of this organization and recommend that anyone interested in Space Art check it out!
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