Astronomy Photographer of the Year Award Winners Feature Extraordinary Eclipses and Magnificent Galaxies

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Left side: Starry night sky with red and green hues above a mountain range and grassy plain, with the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. Right side: Detailed, fiery surface of the Sun, showing intricate swirls and sunspots.

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in partnership with BBC magazine Sky at Nighthas announced the stunning winners of its 16th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. The images showcase some of the most incredible cosmic objects and events in the Universe.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Ryan Imperio won the title of ‘Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ and a £10,000 prize for his stunning image, Distorted shadows of the Moon’s surface created by an annular eclipseThe photo shows the progression of Baily’s beads during the 2023 annular eclipse.

Abstract image composed of concentric and curved light lines creating a layered pattern and shadows on a dark background. The pattern forms a glowing crescent shape on the left, radiating out to the right.
Distorted shadows of the Moon’s surface created by an annular eclipse © Ryan Imperio (United States)

“Baily’s grains form when sunlight passes through valleys and craters on the Moon’s surface,” the Royal Observatory explains, “and are only visible when the Moon is entering or exiting an eclipse.” Given the very short-term nature of Baily’s grains, it takes an expert and prepared photographer to capture them in a single image, let alone Imperio’s progressive composite image.

“The images selected each year are absolutely stunning and I am both thrilled and honored to have my photo among them,” says Imperio. “I had hoped my image would be shared in some way, but I never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone the overall winner!”

“This is an impressive analysis of the fleeting seconds when Baily’s beads are visible. I was captivated and amazed by the image. It is an exceptional piece of work that deserves great recognition,” added competition judge, meteorologist Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Daniele Borsari won the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award and £1,500 for the image, NGC 1499, a dusty California.

A colorful nebula with bright pink and red hues against a dark space background. Several bright stars are scattered across the image, adding contrast to the bright cloudy formation of gas and dust. The nebula appears vast and ethereal.
NGC 1499, a dusty California © Daniele Borsari (Italy), 14 years old

Judge and artist Neal White comments that Borsari’s image “demonstrates that the future of astronomical photography is being fearlessly and openly carried forward by a new generation.”

Additional winning images

Beyond the two winning photos, the judges selected runners-up and highly regarded photos. Peter Ward took second place for his image, Coronal Chronographwhich shows the solar corona at solar maximum and minimum. Given the solar cycle lasts for years, Ward took the images to create this composite six years apart.

Abstract image featuring fine, vaporous patterns resembling flowing waterfalls interspersed with a horizontal line in the middle. The pattern is illuminated by subtle gradients of light blue and white, creating a serene and ethereal atmosphere. Small pink dots appear scattered along the horizontal line.
Coronal Chronograph © Peter Ward (Australia)

Andra’s Papp Blue turns red, our sun turns deserved kudos. The image shows the motions of the solar surface as captured through a 3D-printed slit spectrograph connected to a telescope. The setup can show when the solar surface mass is about to eject material toward Earth (blueshift) or away from it (redshift).

A high-resolution close-up image of the Sun, highlighting its textured surface covered in swirling patterns and structures. The overall color palette is primarily blue and white with touches of orange and gray, emphasizing the Sun's dynamic activity. The background is black.
Blue turns red, our sun turns © Andras Papp (Hungary)

“I have once again had the great privilege of being on the judging panel for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. We receive a wealth of amazing work and it is a joy to see what the world’s best astrophotographers produce,” said Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. “It is true that choosing the winners is a lengthy and highly debated process among the judging panel.”

“This year I personally enjoyed what I consider to be a very strong showing in the Aurorae category. The young entrants are also very impressive and the Annie Maunder Award for Image Innovation is surprising, beautiful and intriguing. But there are wonders in every category. Try to see as much as you can at the exhibition, you will be dazzled by what has been created,” adds Bloomer.

Category Winners

Speaking of the Aurorae category, it is one of seven categories in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Each category winner receives £1,500 and is profiled below. The winners of the competition’s two special awards, the Sir Patrick Moore Award for Best Newcomer and the Annie Maunder Award for Innovation in Imaging, each receive £750 and are also profiled below.

A serene lakeside landscape under a night sky illuminated by vibrant pink aurora borealis. Dark mountains are silhouetted against the brilliant display, with rocky shores framing the foreground. Soft reflections of the aurora shimmer on the surface of the calm water.
Aurorae Category Winner — Queenstown Aurora © Larryn Rae (New Zealand)
A close-up of the lunar surface showing a detailed view of numerous craters. A large shadow-filled crater is clearly visible, casting dark silhouettes against the Moon's rugged, cratered terrain. The image presents a stark and intriguing lunar landscape.
Winner of the Our Moon category — The shady peaks of Sinus Iridum © Balázs Gábor (Hungary)
High-resolution image of a galaxy known as Centaurus A, with a bright core surrounded by a dark dust lane. Bright stars are scattered across the background and jets of red light emanate from the galaxy's center.
Galaxies Category Winner — Echoes of the past © Bence Tóth, Péter Feltóti (Hungary)
A detailed image of the Sun's surface with swirling patterns and solar prominences. The International Space Station (ISS) appears as a small silhouette against the bright background of the Sun, emphasizing its immense scale by comparison.
Winner of the “People and Space” category — High-tech silhouette © Tom Williams (UK)
Composite image showing three crescent views of a planet, gradually moving from bottom left to top right against a black background. The planet is various shades of brown and orange, with atmospheric or surface details visible.
Winner of the Planets, Comets and Asteroids category — Approaching © Tom Williams (UK)
A vast night sky lit up with bright stars and colorful nebulae overlooks a mountainous landscape. In the foreground, a large, solitary rock stands in a grassy field. Snow-capped peaks and rugged cliffs rise in the distance under the vibrant sky.
Skyscapes Category Winner — Tasmania’s Jewels © Tom Rae (New Zealand)
A stunning image of a cosmic scene features a ring-shaped supernova remnant. Bright blue filaments of gas and dust intertwine with fiery red and orange hues, creating an ethereal and mesmerizing spectacle against a dark background filled with stars.
Stars and Nebulae Category Winner — SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (the Nereid Nebula in Cassiopeia) © Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, Richard Galli (Germany, United States, France, France, France)
An ethereal, blue nebula floats in the vastness of space, surrounded by a backdrop of red and black interstellar clouds. Stars dot the scene, illuminating the nebula's ghostly appearance.
The Sir Patrick Moore Award for Best Newcomer — SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula © Xin Feng, Miao Gong (China)
A vividly enhanced image of Earth shows swirling clouds and weather patterns in striking shades of red, blue, green and yellow. The exaggerated colors highlight atmospheric circulation and other weather features against the black backdrop of space.
Annie Maunder Award for Imaging Innovation — Anatomy of a Habitable Planet © Sergio Díaz Ruiz (Spain)

More information about the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition

“It was a privilege to judge the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The diversity and quality of the images, some of which seem impossible to photograph, is astounding,” says Victoria Lane, Senior Curator of Art and Identity at the Royal Museums Greenwich. “I was particularly impressed by the creativity and innovative approaches of the entries for our Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation, which focuses on the art rather than the science of space.”

All winners will be featured in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London. The exhibition opens on 13 September and entry is free. The winning images will also be included in a book, Astronomy Photographer of the Year, Collection 13available for £30.

In addition to the winning photographs featured above, the competition also names runners-up and highly commended images for each category. These additional photos, which are also stunning, are available on the Astronomy Photographer of the Year website and in the exhibition.

Image credits: Royal Observatory Greenwich Astronomy Photographer of the Year 16 (2024). All photographers are credited in the captions of individual photos.

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