Astronomy Photographer – Sensational and wondrous photos of the universe
The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 winners
Veil of Stars, © Zixiong Jin, The iconic Veil Nebula appears with intricate details and vivid colours. The photographer cropped from a larger mosaic to emphasise the “veil” concept
Astronomy Photographer
The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 exhibition transforms the unseen universe into art that can be appreciated. The darkness above us holds wonders we cannot see. Yet inside the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, these hidden treasures come alive on brilliant lightbox screens.
Celestial Arch, © Luis Vilariño, An aurora forms an immense arc spanning more than 180 degrees. The green light created a natural neon sign across the entire sky
ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 competition draws photographers from across the globe who chase the night sky with telescopes and cameras.
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They wait hours in freezing deserts and climb mountains to capture what our eyes miss. Their patience pays off. The winning images reveal galaxies, nebulae, and auroras that cross the line from science to art.
What drives someone to stand in a field at three in the morning, pointing a camera at seemingly empty darkness?
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I imagine the answer connects to something deeper than hobby or science. Perhaps astrophotography satisfies our need to see beyond our daily lives, to make visible what exists but remains hidden.
The Trace of Refraction, © Marcella Giulia Pace, This lunar image demonstrates atmospheric refraction, showing how Earth’s atmosphere bends moonlight like a prism. The red colour results from Rayleigh scattering
These photographs speak about connection. With images of the Andromeda Galaxy or the rings of Saturn, they inspire feelings of being at one with the universe.
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I suspect the technical challenge may appeal to many photographers, but what yearning brings them back night after night? Is it because each photograph becomes a window to a place we can never visit but somehow belong to?
Most likely, the amateur astronomy photographer starts with simple equipment. They become fascinated when they see Jupiter’s moons through a basic telescope.
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That first glimpse hooks them. They want to share what they discover. Photography becomes their language for communicating wonder. The long exposures required for deep space objects create something our eyes cannot experience directly.
Colours of nebulae and spiral arms of galaxies
The camera collects light for hours, building up an image photon by photon. These photographs show details invisible even through powerful telescopes. They reveal the true colours of nebulae and the spiral arms of distant galaxies.
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The exhibition finds its perfect home at the National Maritime Museum through a connection that spans centuries.
The Royal Observatory at Greenwich, now part of the museum complex, began in 1675 when King Charles II wanted to solve the longitude problem. Sailors needed to know their position at sea, and stars provided the answer.
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The architect Christopher Wren chose the hilltop site in Greenwich Park to build the original Royal Observatory building. The first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, began the work of mapping star positions to help ships navigate the world’s oceans.
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The observatory’s mission statement declared its purpose: to rectify the tables of star motions “for perfecting the art of navigation.” Greenwich became the centre of world timekeeping when the Prime Meridian was established there in 1884.
The Ridge, © Tom Rae, This panorama contains over a billion pixels from 62 stitched images. It shows twin glacial rivers under the Milky Way core and Southern Cross constellation
The connection between sky and sea shaped maritime history. Navigators set their chronometers by Greenwich Mean Time. They used star charts created by Royal Observatory astronomers.
National Maritime Museum
The scientific work moved elsewhere in the century. The Greenwich site became a museum in 1998, joining forces with the National Maritime Museum.
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The connection between astronomy and navigation remains central to both institutions. The photography competition continues this tradition of making the heavens accessible to earthbound visitors.
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The overall winner this year comes from three Chinese photographers: Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu. Their image The Andromeda Core shows our nearest spiral galaxy neighbour with exceptional detail.
The Andromeda Core, © Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu, The overall winner shows exceptional detail in our nearest galaxy neighbour. Notice how the composition focuses on the central region rather than trying to show everything
Judge László Francsics praised their restraint: “Not to show it all – this is one of the greatest virtues of this photo.”
The Andromeda Galaxy has been photographed countless times, yet this image offers something new. The photographers captured it using a long focal-length telescope at AstroCamp Observatory in Spain.
Satellites and Storms, © Tom Williams, Jupiter appears with moons Europa and Callisto, showing the planet’s recent storm outbreak. Long exposures reveal the minor moon Amalthea between Europa and Jupiter
They spent 38 hours collecting light to reveal the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region. The composition draws viewers into the swirling arms of stars without overwhelming them with technical detail.
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Young astronomy photographer Daniele Borsari from Italy won the ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer award.
His black and white image Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha shows three famous nebulae in a single frame.
Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha, © Daniele Borsari, The young photographer’s monochrome approach emphasises nebula shapes over bright colours. Three famous objects appear in a single composition
The judge commented that choosing monochrome over bright colours created a bold artistic statement that paid off.
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Each category in the competition reveals different aspects of our universe.
The Aurorae section captures the interaction between solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field.
Astronomy photographer Kavan Chay’s Crown of Light shows the rare red aurora visible during the extreme G5 geomagnetic storm in May. The intense solar activity created aurora displays at latitudes where they rarely appear.
Crown of Light, © Kavan Chay, This aurora photograph captures the rare red colours visible during extreme geomagnetic activity. The intensity of the May storm created displays at unprecedented latitudes
The Our Sun category celebrates our nearest star.
James Sinclair’s winning image, Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere, reveals the ever-changing plasma structures.
Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere, © James Sinclair, Solar photography reveals the dynamic plasma structures that change constantly. The chromosphere layer shows hydrogen and helium manipulated by magnetic fields
The Sun’s chromosphere changes second by second, which explains why solar photographers become obsessed with their subject. Each image captures a moment that will never repeat exactly.
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Astronomy photographer Tom Williams won the People and Space category with ISS Lunar Flyby. His photograph shows the International Space Station passing close to the Moon’s disc.
ISS Lunar Flyby, © Tom Williams, The International Space Station appears to pass the Moon’s disc. The solar arrays catch sunlight while radiators glow with earthshine, creating layers of illumination
The station’s solar panels catch sunlight while its radiators glow with earthshine. The image required precise timing and planning to capture this alignment.
Galaxies category
The Galaxies category runner-up comes from the Deep Sky Collective, a group of twelve photographers from seven countries.
Cosmic Coincidences: Deer Lick and Stephan’s Quintet, © Deep Sky Collective, Twelve photographers collaborated for six months to reveal faint hydrogen backgrounds rarely captured. The 580 hours of exposure show collaborative dedication
Their image Cosmic Coincidences: Deer Lick and Stephan’s Quintet required nearly 600 hours of exposure time. They worked together for six months to reveal faint hydrogen clouds rarely captured in amateur photography.
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This year’s exhibition includes a special feature: a photograph taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station.
Earth From Orbit, © Don Pettit, This space station photograph uses a homemade star tracker to show fixed stars while Earth rotates below. The technique was previously impossible in orbital photography
Earth From Orbit demonstrates the potential of space-based photography. Pettit created a homemade sidereal star tracker that compensates for the station’s motion.
This device allows him to photograph stars as fixed points while Earth rotates below.
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The Annie Maunder Open Category winner, Leonardo Di Maggio, created Fourth Dimension by combining James Webb Space Telescope data with his photograph of a meteorite’s interior. The image blurs the line between scientific data and artistic vision.
Fourth Dimension, © Leonardo Di Maggio, This artistic interpretation combines Webb telescope data with meteorite photography. The black and white merger creates science fiction imagery from real astronomical data
Astronomy photographer Di Maggio converted both images to black and white, then merged them to create a surreal composition suggesting alien landscapes.
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These photographs reward careful study. Look first at the overall composition, then examine the details that emerge from long scrutiny.
Many images combine scientific accuracy with artistic vision. The colours often represent real light from hydrogen, oxygen, and other elements, though processing enhances them for visual impact.
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Consider the time investment behind each image. Deep space photographs require hours of exposure spread across multiple nights.
The War God Meets the Beehive, © Andre Vilhena, Mars shows retrograde motion near the Beehive Cluster. Nine images track the planet’s apparent backwards movement across five day
Weather, equipment failures, and light pollution create constant challenges. The dedication shows in the final results. Notice how photographers frame familiar objects in new ways.
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The moon and sun appear in countless images, yet creative composition and timing make them fresh. The best images balance technical excellence with emotional impact.
Saturnrise, © Tom Williams, This image shows Saturn emerging from behind the Moon during a lunar occultation. The event occurred near Saturn’s opposition, coinciding with the near-full Moon
Some photographs push technical boundaries. The collaborative projects show how photographers share knowledge and resources. Others demonstrate individual persistence, returning to subjects repeatedly until conditions align perfectly.
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Technology continues expanding what photographers can capture. Improved cameras reveal fainter objects with shorter exposures.
Rotation, © Takanobu Kurosaki, Star trails circle Polaris while a giant Ferris wheel rotates below. Earth’s rotation and the wheel’s motion create parallel circular motions
Computer processing techniques extract detail from data that once seemed unusable. Social media connects photographers worldwide, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
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Light pollution remains a growing challenge. Many photographers now travel to dark sky preserves or work from remote observatories.
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Others focus on subjects visible from urban locations: the moon, planets, and bright nebulae still shine through city lights.
Encounter Across Light Years, © Yurui Gong and Xizhen Ruan, A Perseid meteor appears to graze the Andromeda Galaxy in this serendipitous capture. The photographers discovered this surprise when retrieving their camera
The boundary between amateur and professional photography continues blurring. Some amateur images rival those from major observatories. Citizen scientists contribute real data while creating beautiful art. The combination of science and creativity drives the field forward.
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The National Maritime Museum displays over 100 photographs on brilliant lightbox screens that bring out subtle colours and details in a gallery dedicated specifically to this annual exhibition.
The format suits space photography perfectly, creating an immersive experience that conventional prints cannot match.
A Sun Yawn, © Zhang Yanguang, Eleven sequential images document a solar prominence eruption over time. The massive plasma structure expanded into space before dissipating
These images remind us what waits above our heads each clear night. The photographers capture light that has travelled thousands or millions of years to reach our small planet.
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Their dedication makes the invisible visible, sharing cosmic beauty with earthbound viewers.
The exhibition succeeds because it combines wonder with accessibility. Visitors need no technical knowledge to appreciate the artistry.
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The photographs speak directly to our sense of scale and place in the universe. They answer questions we did not know we were asking.
M13: An Ultra-Deep Exposure, © Distant Luminosity, The Great Hercules Cluster appears with unprecedented depth. Twenty-nine hours of exposure reveal background galaxies and integrated flux nebula clouds
Each image tells a story of patience, dedication, and vision. The photographers often work alone in dark locations, driven by curiosity about what lies beyond our atmosphere. Their results connect us to something larger than our daily concerns.
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The night sky belongs to everyone, yet most people never truly see it. These photographers become our ambassadors to the cosmos, bringing back reports from realms we can visit only through their eyes.
Each image by the astronomy photographer proves that the universe rewards those who take time to really look. Offering multiple opportunities to experience these cosmic visions.
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Each visit reveals new details in photographs that repay extended contemplation.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Taking a Final Bow, © Dan Bartlett, This comet reacted visibly to solar winds, creating spectacular tail dynamics. The nuclear coma shows colourful hues expelled by the comet’s centre
The universe waits patiently overhead, and these images in the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 exhibition provide the perfect introduction to its wonders.
Text Martin Wray / Photos courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, London and as credited
