The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 15, during an award ceremony held on September 14. This year marks the fifteenth year of the contest, which received over 4,000 submissions from 64 countries in 2023. After a shortlist of winning submissions was released in July, the final winners have been recognized for their stunning images.
The overall winner of the competition came from the Galaxies category, with the top spot awarded to Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, and Yann Sainty for their photo of the Andromeda galaxy titled “Andromeda, Unexpected.” This captivating image showcases a large, blue plasma arc next to the Andromeda galaxy, which is now being studied by scientists as potentially the largest phenomenon of its type in our universe.
Other notable winners include Monika Deviat from Canada, who won the Aurorae category with her image titled “Brushstroke,” which evokes the art of brush-painting and calligraphy. Ethan Chappel’s photo “Mars-Set” won in the Our Moon category, capturing the rare occurrence of Mars setting behind the moon’s southern hemisphere. Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau’s image titled “A Sun Question” won in the Our Sun category, showcasing a question mark-shaped solar filament rising from the sun’s surface. In the People & Space category, Vikas Chander’s photo “Zeila” stood out, capturing a stranded boat on the Skeleton Coast with stars streaking in the night sky overhead.
Tom Williams won in the Planets, Comets & Asteroids category with his false-color image of Venus titled “Suspended in a Sunbeam,” revealing details of the planet’s upper atmosphere using infrared. Angel An’s photograph titled “Grand Cosmic Fireworks” won in the Skyscapes category, capturing the rare occurrence of sprites high in the Earth’s atmosphere. Marcel Drechsler’s team also won in the Stars & Nebulas category with their image titled “New Class of Galactic Nebulae Around the Star YY Kya,” showcasing a previously undiscovered nebula enveloping a pair of binary stars. Aaron Wilhelm’s vibrant photo titled “Sh2-132: Blinded by the Light” won in the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer category. Lastly, Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang were recognized as the Young Astronomy Photographers of the Year for their image titled “The Running Chicken Nebula,” capturing the hypnotic blend of cosmic colors.
John White received the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation with his photo titled “Black Echo,” which captured the vibrations of water in a petri dish using audio of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Perseus Galaxy.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest is not only a celebration of astrophotography but also provides a platform for amateur and professional photographers from around the world to showcase their talent and capture the beauty of the universe. The winning photographs will be exhibited at the Royal Observatory Greenwich from September 15, allowing visitors to witness the incredible wonders of space captured through the lenses of these talented photographers.