The night sky, the stars, the planets, the satellites—the vast mysteries of the universe fascinate us all the time. Photographers can capture some of those mysteries on camera. The 'Astronomy Photographer of the Year' competition is organized by the Royal Museums Greenwich in England every year. The world's best astrophotographers showcase their extraordinary skills and creativity there.
This year, the 16th 'Astronomy Photographer of the Year' competition received around 3,500 submissions from professional and amateur photographers from 58 countries. In 11 different categories. Winners were announced last Thursday, September 12, through an online ceremony. The world's best pictures from the world's best space photography contest are published for the readers of ScienceThink.
Ring-shaped moon
The picture was taken during the total solar eclipse in 2023. "Bailey's beads" or 'Bailey's hair' effect is visible in this picture of total solar eclipse. This effect is seen when the Moon almost completely covers the Sun during a total solar eclipse. But because of the uneven surface of the moon, the sunlight comes out from the side. This light looks like a necklace of pearls. It stays for a few moments, then disappears. Photographed by Ryan Imperio. It won all categories in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
Evolution of solar corona
This image shows the atmosphere extending several thousand kilometers above the Sun. It is also known as corona zone. Here, the photographer captured the view of the maximum and minimum activity of the Sun's corona. The bottom part of the photo was taken in 2017. The sun was least active at that time. The top part was taken six years later in 2023, when the Sun was at its most active. Photographer Peter Ward colorized circular corona images taken at different times and combined them into a rectangular image. As a result, the changes that have taken place in the sun's corona over time can be understood at a glance in this one picture. It was runner-up in the competition's 'Our Sun' category.
A play of color in the Australian sky
Laryn Ray captured this incredible view of Australia's aurora in this photo taken from the top of a hill in Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a panorama consisting of 19 images. He captured this fast-moving aurora on camera in February 2023. The photographer used an astrophotography camera to clearly capture all the pink colors of the aurora. It was selected as the best film in the 'Aurora' category.
Moon chest wound
This image taken by Gabor Balaj shows a special crater called 'Sinus Iridum' on the Moon's surface. It is also known as 'Bay of Rainbow'. It is a giant crater with a diameter of about 260 km, which is surrounded by several smaller craters. The photographer used a monochrome camera to photograph the area. The hole in the upper right corner is called Pythagoras. The crater is visible from Earth. It won in the 'Our Moon' category.
The light bath of the galaxy
Bence Toth and Peter Feltow took this amazing picture. It shows a galaxy called NGC 5128 and various objects around it. The image also shows strong light rays emanating from the galaxy at speeds close to the speed of light. Photographers went to Namibia to take this picture because such a view of the galaxy can only be seen from the southern hemisphere. It is the winning film in the 'Galaxies' category.
Suryasnat International Novostation
The International Space Station passes in front of the Sun in this H-alpha image of the Sun. Photographer Tom Williams took the picture. It goes without saying that taking this picture was a difficult task. Because the space station passes the Sun in just 0.2 seconds. The image shows that the Sun was very active at that time. It was selected as the best picture in the 'People and Space' category.
Satellite surveillance
This image shows all the satellite images taken in one hour together. This beautiful scene was captured by photographer Matt Jackson. He wants to tell us through this picture, how many satellites are watching over us today. Through this film, he wants to make us aware of privacy and control. The photo was taken in Gallatin County, Montana, USA. It was selected as 'Highly Commended' in the 'People and Space' category.
Nebula across the sky
This view of New Zealand's Tasman Hills valley highlights the beauty of the night sky in a more captivating way. This scene is seen in the southern hemisphere during summer. The photo was taken by a photographer named Tom Ray. This image clearly shows the central red part of the Gum Nebula, a giant hydrogen cloud, and the active star-forming regions spread across the Milky Way's arms. The film won in the 'Skyscapes' category.
colorful nebula
This remarkable image of the Nereides Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia was captured by telescopes on three continents. The picture was taken with the help of 3 thousand 559 photo frames and exposure for 260 hours. A new supernova remnant is discovered in the center of Cassiopeia in this image. The team members are Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Ian Senti, Nicholas Martino, and Richard Galley.
Obsession with red
The California Nebula NGC 1499 is seen in this image taken by 14-year-old Daniel Borsari. This nebula is in the constellation Perseus. It is about 1,000 light-years away from Earth. The blue giant star C Percy ionizes the nebula's gas, making it appear so bright.