CEDIC'24 - the restart: It was great to be able to hold the conference again after five years!. We want to say thank you to all our partners, helping hands, speakers and last but not least to all conference attendees who have contributed to the success of the conference. After a year of hard work and preparation we were very happy, that the conference went so well for everyone. 

How it all began: It started with a dream and a courageous idea. Astrophotographers from Upper Austria realized their idea of an international event in spring 2009, which focuses on the exchange of information between astrophotographers and people with an enthusiasm for astronomy. This first conference CEDIC'09 was a great success and so the CEDIC team decided to continue the conference every 2 years. Meanwhile, CEDIC has become an internationally recognized conference with renowned astrophotographers and speakers from all over the world. In the past 15 years more than 1100 visitors from all continents came to Linz and the popularity of the conference is still growing. 

The location: The Ars Electronica Center (AEC), a unique facility in the world in which the conference is held, makes a major contribution to the ambience of CEDIC. The Ars Electronica Center (AEC), also known as the "Museum of the Future", offers impressive technical possibilities that can be particularly impressive for the presentation of astronomical images. 

The opening: CEDIC’24 started on Friday evening with a spectacular presentation in the AEC's DeepSpace, which was opened to the public for free. More than 300 visitors marveled at the international telescope exhibition and the two presentations in the DeepSpace. High-resolution astrophotos in 16 x 9 meter format of galaxies and gas nebulae, taken by the world's best astrophotographers, were shown. As a special highlight from current research, the latest results of the "James Webb" and "Euclid" space telescope missions were presented. 

The conference:On Saturday and Sunday there was a packed program with simultaneous lectures and workshops. The presentations were on a very high level and covered a wide range of subjects in astrophotography, so there was something for everyone. Of course, technical topics such as artificial intelligence in astrophotography, image acquisition, image processing and remote imaging played an important role in the lectures and workshops. But TWAN-related topics such as time-lapse photography and urban astrophotography were also covered, as well as talks on unusual objects such as newly discovered planetary nebulae and Mercury's sodium tail. Our keynote speaker Russell Croman gave impressive insights into AI concepts in astrophotography.
The lectures and workshops of course played a central role during CEDIC'24. It should also be mentioned that CEDIC is also known for another important aspect: meeting astrophotographers and friends from all over the world, not only exchanging knowledge, but also hanging out and having fun. Perhaps this is the reason why most conference participants also attend the traditional conference dinner on Saturday evening. 

Looking ahead: It is a great challenge to organize a conference of this size, but the excellent feedback from the speakers and participants, partners and friends motivate us to "do it again". 

Yours,

CEDIC Spotlight Team