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Here are a few upcoming and ongoing astronomy classes and photography contests that our readers may be interested in.

Once a year, the One-Minute Astronomer aka Brian Ventrudo offers a detailed course called The Art of Stargazing, and you need to act fast on this one, as the final signup date is March 24, 2014. This 12-month course breaks down everything you need to know about stargazing into bite-sized pieces detailed sky tours, choosing and using the best binoculars and telescope for you, and a smattering of science to help you understand a little about your place in the universe. It also shows you how to find and enjoy hundreds of achingly beautiful sights you will remember for the rest of your life.

You have until noon (GMT) this Monday, March 24 to begin your personal odyssey through the heavens. As the Brian says, Youll come away from The Art of Stargazing with everything you need to become a skilled backyard stargazer.

The cost is $197 USD, and there are payment plans, as well as a lifetime of followup information and email advisories. Get all the details here.

As always, you can find other ongoing classes at the CosmoQuest Academy. They regularly have new classes as well as opportunities for citizen science with their Moon Mappers, Asteroid Mappers and Planet Mappers programs.

There are also two astrophotography contests going on right now:

Ciel & Espace magazine in France is having their Photo Nightscape Awards, and are looking for submissions of Earth and night sky photos. Photos must be taken between January 1, 2014 and August 31, 2014. One photo submission per photographer, and all formats are accepted: panoramic, square, mosaics.

Read more:

Check Out These Online Astronomy Classes and Contests