Breathtaking Cosmic Wonders: See The Winners Of Astronomy Photographer Of The Year

These amazing photos give us glimpses of galaxies, nebulae, and the the universe that few of us would otherwise ever get to see. They are the winning photographs from this year’s Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards.

From images of our sun and moon, to spectacular skyscapes and Aurorae, the professional and amateur astronomers from this year’s competition evoke awe and delight. This year’s overall winner is photographer Ryan Imperio from the United States for his picture of the solar eclipse on October 14, 2023. The image is a composite of more than 30 separate photographs of the Sun. It captures optical illusion known as ‘Baily’s beads.’ Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse.

Our Sun

Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse (Winner and Overall Winner) by Ryan Imperio (USA)

Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, judge and meteorologist said, “This is an impressive dissection of the fleeting few seconds during the visibility of the Baily’s beads. This image left me captivated and amazed. It’s exceptional work deserving of high recognition.” For his part, Imperio said, ‘The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honoured to have my photo among them. I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!’

Coronal Chronograph (Runner-Up) by Peter Ward (Australia)

Blue turns to Red, our Sun Rotates (Highly Commended) by Andras Papp (Hungary)

Skyscapes

Tasman Gems by Tom Rae is a Milky Way photograph of the southern hemisphere night sky including the hydrogen clouds of the Gum Nebula

Tasman Gems (Winner) by Tom Rae (New Zealand)

Symphony of the Night Sky (Runner-Up) by Fei Xue (China)

 Like Blue Lava (Highly Commended) by Petr Horalek (Czechia)

Galaxies

Echoes of the Past (Winner) by Bence Tóth (Hungary) and Péter Feltóti (Hungary)

“Galaxies are among the most amazing phenomena you can observe with a telescope. Each is unique, but some are more special than others. Centaurus A is one of the most extraordinary of its kind, and this image certainly stands out among galaxy photos,” said László Francsics, competition judge.

A Very Deep Look at the Markarian’s Chain (Runner-Up) by Jakob Sahner (Germany)

M63, The Tidal Streams Around the Sunflower Galaxy (Highly Commended) by Sophie Paulin, Jens Unger, Jakob Sahner (Germany).

Aurorae

Queenstown Aurora (Winner) by Larryn Rae (New Zealand)

“Red aurorae are less common than green ones, which occur at lower altitudes where there is more oxygen to interact with and a higher density of atoms. This makes the observation more unique and special; an event typically associated with significant solar activity and usually only visible under clear, dark sky conditions,” said Yuri Beletsky, competition judge.

The Green Kingdom (Runner-Up) by Filip Hrebenda (Slovakia)

Aurora Borealis over Brighton Seafront (Highly Commended) by Michael Steven Harris (UK)

Aurora Borealis over Brighton Seafront by Michael Steven Harris beautifully captures the pink hues of the aurora despite the significant light pollution in the
area.

Our Moon

Shadow Peaks of Sinus Iridum (Winner) by Gábor Balázs (Hungary)

“This is a very impressive image. Sinus Iridum, known as the ‘Bay of Rainbows’, is about 260 km in diameter and is bordered by several smaller craters, showcasing the Moon’s rugged terrain,” said Yuri Beletsky, competition judge.

Venus and the Moon in Infrared (Runner-Up) by Lóránd Fényes (Hungary)

Crescent (Highly Commended) by Jinyuan Chen (China)

People and Space

High-Tech Silhouette (Winner) by Tom Williams (UK)

“This dramatic image serves as a powerful reminder of humanity’s ongoing presence in space. The photographer has done a great job in perfectly timing this shot so that the International Space Station is silhouetted against the backdrop of the Sun’s eastern solar limb,” said Melissa Brobby, competition judge.

Parallel Lines Over the City (Runner-Up) by Ran Shen (China)

This simple but powerful composition shows the trajectories of Venus and Jupiter over the skyline of Lujiazui, Shanghai.

Big Brother is Watching You (Highly Commended) by Matt Jackson (USA)

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

On Approach (Winner) by Tom Williams (UK)

“Venus shares very little with Earth-bound observers. Its highly reflective clouds show no detail when using conventional imaging methods. This photographer, however, has managed to tease a startling level of detail out of the phases shown here. Although the colours used are false, they are not too far from the natural colour of the planet. The thoughtful compositional work in the accurate scaling of the three phases is just the icing on the cake,” said Steve Marsh, competition judge.

Methane Lights of Jupiter (Runner-Up) by Sophie Paulin and Tom Williams (Germany and UK)

M100 (The Blowdryer Galaxy) and Ceres (Highly Commended) by Damon Mitchell Scotting (UK)

Stars and Nebulae

SNR G107.5-5.2, (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) (Winner) by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, Richard Galli (Germany, USA, France, France, France)

The photograph captures a previously unknown gigantic supernova remnant (SNR) in the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia, bringing an exciting discovery to the winning images.

Serpens: a Mosaic (Runner-Up) by Mukund Raguram (USA)

Antares Region (Highly Commended) by Bence Tóth (Hungary)

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula (Winner) by Xin Feng and Miao Gong (China)

“The Dolphin Head Nebula is a bubble of hydrogen pushed out from a very luminous Wolf-Rayet star. Stellar winds of over 1,500 km per second make the region rather more lively than even its animal namesake,” said Ed Bloomer, competition judge.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

NGC 1499, A Dusty California (Winner) by Daniele Borsari (Italy), aged 14.

Neal White, judge and artist, commented, “This incredibly beautiful image was very popular with the panel. Not least because it captures a nebula, atmospheric gases and has extraordinary balance of light, composition and structure. The future of astronomy photography being fearlessly, and openly, taken forward by a new generation.”

IC 405 and IC 410: The Flaming Star and Tadpole Nebulae (Runner-Up) by Sonny Chart (UK), aged 15.

M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy (Highly Commended) by ZiYang Chang (China), aged 14.

Double Comet (Highly Commended) by Runwei Xu (China), aged 15.

M106, a Spiral Galaxy (Highly Commended) by Benjamin Lawler, aged 8 and Joshua Lawler, aged 10 (UK).

The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation

 Anatomy of a Habitable Planet (Winner) by Sergio Díaz Ruiz (Spain)

This image shows Earth as a seemingly alien world as a distant civilisation might study it. “This strangely familiar representation of the Earth transforms scientific data through colour mapping to highlight the devastation already inflicted on our world. The image poignantly emphasizes the significant environmental challenges we face and the urgent need to protect and preserve our planet,” said Victoria Lane, competition judge.

Dr. Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, admires the “abundance of astonishing works flood to us” in this year’s competition. He particularly enjoyed this year’s Aurorae category photos and the young entrants. But said, “But there are wonders spread across every category.”

For more information on the annual competition and to see more of this year’s entries visit rmg.co.uk and to vote for this year’s People’s Choice award. The National Maritime Museum also publishes a book every year. This year’s photographs are collected in Astronomy Photographer of the Year Collection 12, which is available at Amazon.