Contents
- best photo
- Nomination “Sun”
- Nomination Skyscapes
- Nomination “Galaxies”
- Nomination “Moon”
- Nomination “Northern Lights”
- Nomination “People and Space”
- Annie Maunder Award for Innovation in Photography
- Nomination “Stars and Nebulae”
- Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer to Astronomical Photography
- Young Photographer Winner
Impressive Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 Award Winners in the Trends Gallery
The 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year winner was announced on September 15. In addition to the first place, 11 winners were awarded this year in various categories: from sparkling galaxies and auroras to skyscapes.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual competition for the best space photographs in the world. This year, over 100 photographs were on display at the National Maritime Museum in London.
best photo
The most impressive photo was called Disconnection Event, which shows comet Leonard at the moment when part of its tail is torn off. The author of this image, Gerald Rehmann, was named the overall winner of the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year category.
This image shows Comet C/2021 A1, commonly known as Comet Leonard, which was first discovered in January 2021 by astronomer Greg Leonard. For many astrophotographers, the appearance of this comet was the main event of the year: almost a quarter of the entries in the Planets, Comets and Asteroids category were devoted to it.
The photo shows how part of the comet’s tail separates after colliding with high-speed solar particles.
The picture was taken at the Tivoli farm in Namibia.
Nomination “Sun”
It takes diligence and luck to photograph the Sun daily throughout the year. It’s more than just hard work. According to judge Steve Marsh, the photographer managed to convey a unique look at the progression of sunspot bands.
Nomination Skyscapes
This image of moving star trails against the background of motionless snow-capped mountains received special attention from the audience and jury members.
Nomination “Galaxies”
The Sombrero Galaxy is home to approximately 100 billion stars. It has a characteristic shape that resembles a flat disc, similar to the brim of a sombrero hat. Although many galaxies take on a similar shape, they can be anything from ovals to straight lines. It all depends on where we look at them from the Earth.
Nomination “Moon”
The clarity, sharpness and contrast of the rim of the lunar crater Plato in this image impressed not only the judges, but also the audience. The details of the surface of the natural satellite of the Earth are visible so well that it is hard to believe that the photographer took this picture while on our planet.
Nomination “Northern Lights”
“I love this photo because it truly epitomizes the aurora: the green swoosh reflected in an icy lake, the sharpness of the edges of the ice blocks, and the looming shadow of a mountain. Fantastic!” says Sheila Kanani, competition judge.
Nomination “People and Space”
According to Royal Observatory astronomer Ed Bloomer, the image is full of drama: “By focusing on the space station, we can see the contrast with the colorful lunar landscape around it,” he says.
Annie Maunder Award for Innovation in Photography
For her work, Pauline Woolley used 26 images of the Sun. She stacked them on top of each other to create rings that form an “imaginary solar tree” and visualize the passage of time.
Hannah Lyons, Assistant Curator at the Royal Museums Greenwich: “Dendrochronology is the scientific method of dating the growth rings of wood and analyzing the information they contain. It is used by art historians and restorers to determine the age of works of art and architectural monuments created using wood panels. But in this case, technology was used to create an unusual, groundbreaking composition that immediately wowed the judges.”
Nomination “Stars and Nebulae”
The nebula shown in the photo has several names – the Helix Nebula, NGC 7293 or the Eye of God.
Competition judge Imad Ahmed: “The colors in this photo create a stunning composition. Looking at it, it is easy to imagine how ancient people peered into the sky and imagined that the cosmos was vigilantly watching us.”
Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer to Astronomical Photography
The photo shows the star cluster Melotte 15, located in the Heart Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Young Photographer Winner
The image of the Andromeda Galaxy (the most distant object that the human eye can see) was taken by two 14-year-old boys, Yang Hanwen and Zhou Zezhen.
The exhibition featuring the work of the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners will be open until 11 August 2023 at the National Maritime Museum in London.