Hi All,

The news is getting out about the first confirmed planetary transit:
HD209458. Geoff Marcy and his group detected the wobble of the new planet
and collaborator Greg Henry observed the transit, the first time that an
extrasolar planet has been observed by two different means.

I have done a painting of this transit and it is now making its way out
into
the world. It's at:

http://www.spaceart.org/lcook/extrasol.html

(First illustration, at the top of the page, titled "Transit of
"HD209458".)

Unfortunately, a bunch of people are lifting the image without asking me
for
permission, and this is where you can help. If you see the artwork
somewhere
in print or on the web, would you please let me know?

Authorized uses include:

1) Posting on Geoff's web site
2) Posting on Astronomy Picture of the Day (should be tomorrow, 11/15 at:
http://www.spaceart.org/lcook/extrasol.html
3) San Francisco Chronicle on 11/14
4) Channel One in Los Angeles, on a news segment for students
5) ABC World News Tonight (Was supposed to have been tonight, but the news
was a shortened version this evening. Perhaps it will be on tomorrow.)

There's a chance that Astronomy Now and Astronomy (US) will post it on
their
web sites.

I have learned of three unauthorized uses to date:

1) The Oakland Tribune, 11/14
2) A web site in Australia that made a bunch of factual errors and called
it
a photograph of the planet, sans credit - the image is now off
3) Associated Press - I know it's been distributed as an AP photo in
Australia. I don't know where else.

Tomorrow I'll have to track down the Tribune and AP. I suspect they lifted
the image right off Geoff's web site and didn't bother to contact me.
Perhaps they're going to try claiming fair use as a "news" story, even
though my copyright notation and e-mail address are right there. Geoff has
added a sentence saying that no license has been given for this image and
that I must be contacted for permission. And I know that Geoff has been
telling people they MUST get in touch with me before using it - and he's
been giving out my phone number and e-mail address. (BTW: AP distributed
my
Upsilon Andromedae System art last spring without permission, also. They
were very unfriendly when I contacted them, too.)

If any of you see this image anywhere that I haven't mentioned, I'd
appreciate your letting me know so I can look into it if it's an
unauthorized use. Thanks a bunch!

Lynette