From a dragon-shaped aurora to the Milky Way framing the Isaac Newton Telescope in Spain, the 16th Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition has released its stunning shortlisted finalists ahead of winners being announced on September 12. In 2024, some 3,500 photographs were submitted by budding snappers with cameras pointed skywards in 58 countries. Now, from this shortlist, the winners of nine categories, plus two special prizes and an overall winner will be chosen. We’ve gathered a snapshot of shortlisted images that we think stand a good chance of picking up the top prize, so here’s your chance to judge early and see if you agree with us. As always, you’ll find more amazing images in our gallery. And if you now feel inspired to enter the 2025 awards, head to Royal Museums Greenwich to find out more.
“Run to Carina” by Vikas Chander
“Deep in northwest Namibia, in a scorched desert where you can drive hundreds of kilometers without coming across another human, an artist is hard at work,” said photographer Vikas Chander. “Dotted all over the desert are numerous sculptures made of stone which blend seamlessly into the surroundings. Known as the ‘Lone Men of Kaokoland’ [as the region was formerly known], it is not clear who has put them there and where exactly they are located, but my quest to photograph all of them continues.” I took a long exposure of the stone running man before light-painting and blending in Photoshop,” he added. “The tripod was then moved for a clear view of the horizon for ease of blending. The Carina arm of the Milky Way was tracked and a stack of eight images was then blended with the foreground image with the clouds, haze and glow at the horizon to make a smooth transition between ground and sky.”
“Gigantic Solar Prominence in Motion” by Miguel Claro
“This is a still image from a time-lapse sequence that features the chromosphere activity, revealing a gigantic prominence in motion where it’s possible to see a lot of interesting changes in its shape,” said Miguel Claro of this stunning Sun image he took at the Dark Sky Alqueva observatory in Évora, Portugal. “This giant stretches around the Sun’s limb for thousands of kilometers and is several times larger than Earth. As comparison, its width is larger than the width of the rings of Saturn.” We can also see a lot of fine spicules surrounding the solar disc and a fast-erupting prominence coming from a sunspot, while the chromosphere itself was showing a slower motion,” he added. “Conditions were good, so I managed to make a time-lapse of about 248 images. The final result was a 4K high-resolution solar movie comprising around one hour and 20 minutes of photos. The one I selected to present here was taken at UTC 13:15.”
“Total Solar Eclipse” by Gwenaël Blanck
“A total solar eclipse is one of the most beautiful spectacles nature can offer,” said Gwenaël Blanck, who snapped this artistic image in Exmouth, Western Australia. “Everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime. In April 2023, I went to Australia, for 62 seconds of totality. It seems short, but it was worth every penny and effort to get there. Pictures don’t do justice to this wonder.” With this collage I wanted to show the beauty of the corona (which looks like a flower this close to the solar maximum), but also the pink chromosphere, the prominences and Baily’s beads [chinks of sunlight that shine through due to the Moon’s rugged landscape],” the photographer added. “The image is processed with Photoshop. I superimposed seven pictures for the background and six others for the chromosphere and prominences.”
“Serpentine” by Paul Haworth
“At the New Moon in April 2023, I headed up to Snettisham Beach, famous for its vast tidal mudflats that attract migrating birds in staggering numbers,” said Paul Haworth, of the image he captured at Norfolk in the UK. “My foreground subject for the evening was the large, dilapidated jetty, which was built in the Second World War to allow gravel extracted from the nearby pits, destined to help build the concrete runways needed to support the American bombers stationed in the UK, to be moved by boat.” I was accompanied all night by the incredible sound of the birds out on the flats – they never ceased and it was a fantastic soundtrack to the crystal-clear night,” he said. “I named this image ‘Serpentine’ as I love the curved channel in the mudflat, mirroring the trailing stars, and the wonderful scaly texture of the mud cracks.”
“Arctic Dragon”—This impressive aurora, which seemingly takes the form of a dragon, was the result of a geomagnetic storm (level G2) generated by a coronal mass ejection. The photo was captured at the Arctic Henge, which was one of the only places in Iceland with clear skies that night.
The Royal Observatory’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024—arguably the biggest prize for astrophotographers—has published 31 images shortlisted for the award. The competition, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, and sponsored by Liberty Specialty Markets in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is in its 16th year. This year, a stunning 3,500 entries were submitted from amateur and professional photographers in 58 countries. Shortlisted images include supernova remnants, the aurora borealis in the shape of a dragon and our Milky Way galaxy over the Isaac Newton Telescope, Spain. Another photo shows the Milky Way behind the spectacle of December’s spectacular Geminid meteor shower.
Judged by experts from the worlds of art and astronomy, the winners of the competition’s nine categories, two special prizes and the overall winner will be announced on Thursday, September 12. The winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from Saturday, September 14. The overall winner will receive $12,600.
Here are all the shortlisted images across all categories:
Astronomy Photographer Of The Year: Overall Winner
Skyscapes
Landscape and cityscape images of twilight and the night sky featuring the Milky Way, star trails, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, constellation rises, halos and noctilucent clouds alongside elements of earthly scenery.
“Earth and Milky Way Galaxy Show”—Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture is the collective name for the five peaks often called the ‘Five Mountains of Aso’. One of the peaks, Nakadake, has a volcanic crater that is still active. Abe wanted this image to show how the Milky Way has watched over activity on Earth since prehistoric times. This is a composite photograph with the foreground and sky photographed separately but without moving the tripod.
“Ancestral Rocks”—This image shows the Milky Way and the Roques de GarcÃa, a group of rock formations located inside the Las Cañadas caldera in the Teide National Park. The image is a panorama of two files, one for the foreground and one for the sky.
“A Cosmic Firework: the Geminid Meteor Shower”—This photograph of the Geminid meteor shower was taken under perfect conditions on La Palma. During the peak of the night, Sahner could easily spot two or three or more meteors per minute within the field of view. The panorama shows the entire winter Milky Way as seen from La Palma in RGB natural color with extra details in H-alpha.
“Serpentine”—This image was taken at Snettisham Beach, famous for its vast tidal mudflats that attract migrating birds in staggering numbers. The foreground subject is a dilapidated jetty, which was built in the Second World War to allow gravel extracted from the nearby pits to be moved by boat. The curved channel in the mudflat mirrors the trailing stars.
“Auroral Touch: the Milky Way’s Close Encounter”—This image was taken in Castle Hill, New Zealand, facing south as the Milky Way set. Partway through the night, Hall-Fernandez noticed a faint glow growing stronger, though he was not expecting to see the Aurora Australis. As the aurora was very far away, only the deep reds were visible.
Aurorae
Photographs featuring auroral activity (these two images are in addition to main image, above).
“A Night with the Valkyries”—A view of the Eystrahorn Mountain on the night of a KP7 storm (a strong geomagnetic storm that can cause aurorae and upset electrical power systems). The intensity of the storm resulted in the impressive range of colors in the sky.
“The Fire-Spitting Dragon”—The photographer was able to capture the aurora in motion when it turned into something resembling a dragon’s head on a clear night. Telser chose to use black and white to emphasize the contrast of the aurora against the dark sky.
People And Space
Photographs of the night sky, including people or a human-interest element.
“Cosmos in Reflection”—The 100-megawatt molten salt tower photovoltaic power station pictured here has 12,000 super mirrors. In the daytime, the mirror matrix reflects the sunlight back to the central heat-collection tower which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 metric tonnes per year. At night, the mirrors reflect the light of nebulae, clusters, planets, the Milky Way and countless stars at different angles, making it difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not.
“Run to Carina”—This photograph captures a sculpture in north-west Namibia. Made of stone, this is one of a group of sculptures known as the ‘Lone Men of Kaokoland’ [as the region was formerly known]. No one knows who has put them there. A long exposure of the stone running man was taken first, then the tripod was moved for a clear view of the horizon.
“Observations at Night”—This image captures the Isaac Newton Telescope at the edge of the telescope facility on La Palma, in the Canary Islands. Moving the focus away from the center of the Milky Way, Sahner explores other interesting areas of the galaxy such as the Cygnus region, seen in the top right of the image with its bright and vibrant star-forming regions. This photograph is a panorama created with a 135-mm lens which brings extreme depth to the shot.
“Abandoned House”—This image shows an abandoned house in the middle of the Namib Desert with the Milky Way rising above it. The sky was captured with a star tracker to lower the ISO. The veil of clouds and halos around the stars create a dreamlike effect.
Our Sun
Solar images, including transits and solar eclipses.
“Solar Pulsation”—This image captures a sunspot erupting at the edge of the sun where material is ejected from an active volcano. Dual filters were used to improve contrast and the stereoscopic effect.
“A Whale Sailing the Sun”—This image shows the details of the sun’s surface. The photographer views the shape of the filament to the left of the disc as an immense plasma whale traversing the solar surface. Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau captured this photo by recording two videos (one for the disc and another for the prominences), each consisting of 850 frames.
“The Palette of the Himalayas”—During the Spring Festival, the sun and altostratus clouds acted together to create this huge corona, soaring above the Himalayas. The result is an enormous color palette above the snowy peaks.
“Total Solar Eclipse”—Gwenaël Blanck traveled to Australia in April 2023 to see the 62-second long total solar eclipse. In this collage he shows the corona and the pink chromosphere, the prominences and Baily’s beads, chinks of sunlight that shine through due to the moon’s rugged landscape. The image is made of seven superimposed pictures, one overexposed for the background and six others for the chromosphere and prominences.
Our Moon
Lunar images, including occultation of planets and lunar eclipses and transits.
“Hunter’s Moon and the ISS”—This image captures the International Space Station (ISS) in transit across October’s Full Moon, the Hunter’s Moon, approximately 12 hours after a partial lunar eclipse. The striking beauty of the full moon is on display, with its mix of rugged highlands, bright crater rays and darker maria.
“The International Space Station Daytime Moon Transit”—This image shows the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the 51% illuminated Moon. The photographer initially struggled to find a suitable shooting location with clear skies along the very narrow transit corridor.
Planets, Comets And Asteroids
Everything else in our solar system, including planets and their satellites, comets, asteroids and other forms of zodiacal debris.
“The Dance of Jupiter’s Moons”—This image shows the planet Jupiter surrounded by its moons Io and Ganymede. The use of a large aperture reveals several details on both the planet and the surfaces of the moons. This image is the result of stacking the best frames from six 60-minute videos taken in RGB (two videos per color).
“M100 (The Blowdryer Galaxy) and Ceres”—In this image the photographer was able to capture a dwarf planet, Ceres, more than a billion times smaller than its galactic counterpart, transit beyond the galaxy’s spiraling arms. Ceres shines brighter than the galaxy and moves quickly across the night sky. For this image, multiple long exposures were captured over an eight-hour period to showcase the beauty of the Blowdryer Galaxy and the relatively quick speed of the dwarf planet Ceres.
“Saturn with Six Moons”—Saturn’s decreasing ring tilt means the moon Titan is closer to Saturn from our viewpoint than it has been in over a decade. At the center of the image, Tethys is just about to disappear behind Saturn, while Rhea, Enceladus and Mimas are on the left, and Dione is to the lower right. The planet’s shadow on the rings is prominent, as are the Cassini and Encke divisions.
Stars And Nebulae
Deep-space objects within the Milky Way galaxy, including stars, star clusters, supernova remnants, nebulae and other galactic phenomena.
“The Scream of a Dying Star”—The Cygnus supernova afterglow is a popular object with astrophotographers, but the idea here was to take advantage of the high quality of the sky and the long exposure time to highlight details that are rarely seen, such as the outer envelope of the supernova remnant. The image’s name is a nod to The Scream, the famous painting by Edvard Munch, symbolizing the scream that continues to echo through space after the star’s death.
“Misty Mountains”—This image is a close look at IC 5070, the Pelican Nebula. The fine dust and gas structures are reminiscent of mist on mountains hit by the rising sun, hence the title. In the picture some HH objects (Herbig-Haro objects are bright regions or nebulosity around newborn stars) are also clearly visible, some with distinct structural details (HH-563, HH-564, HH-565 and HH-555).
“GUM 12: the Gum Nebula (Vela Supernova Remnant)”—This is a small portion of the Vela supernova, which exploded about 11,000 years ago. Its remnants sprawl across eight degrees of the night sky (about 16 times the width of the full moon), but are extremely dim, requiring very long exposure times.
Galaxies
Deep-space objects beyond the Milky Way galaxy, including galaxies, galaxy clusters and stellar associations.
“The Galaxy Devourer”— CG4 (Cometary Globule 4) is a complex of nebulosity and dust with a very peculiar shape, located in the southern constellation of Puppis. This image is the result of the work of a team of astrophotographers.
“A Milky Way Mimic”—NGC 6744 is thought to resemble our own Milky Way as it would be seen from 30 million light years away. The colors of this galaxy are those of the classic spirals: magentas of the emission nebulae, blues of the large young stars, yellows of the older stars and yellow-browns from the dust spiraling into the core. From Earth, NGC 6744 appears about two-thirds the size of the full moon.
“The Inner Dust Lanes of M104 (The Sombrero Galaxy)”—The intense brightness of M104’s core often hides the details that lie inside the encircling ring of dust. In this image the dust appears to spiral into that core, floating on a wafer-thin layer as it falls toward the massive central black hole. The brighter, more colorful stars in the image are actually in the foreground − a part of our Milky Way galaxy.
Young Astronomy Photographer Of The Year
Pictures taken by budding astronomers under 16.
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize For Best Newcomer
Photos taken by people who have taken up the hobby in the last year and have not entered an image into the competition before. The judges will give special consideration to those using simple and inexpensive start-out kits.
“The Blue Details of M45: The Pleiades”—For improved light and atmospheric condition Sándor took this photograph in Nerpio, Spain. The Pleiades are a popular target among astrophotographers, but there are still many tiny details to be discovered.
“M81, a Grand Design Spiral Galaxy”—M81, also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is about 11.75 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is one of the brighter galaxies in the night sky. In the image’s background, some Integrated Flux Nebula can be seen. IFN is dust outside the Milky Way’s galactic plane that is illuminated only by the stars in the Milky Way.
The Annie Maunder Prize For Image Innovation
For images the entrants process using pre-existing open-source data. The winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum alongside exceptional shortlisted images.
“Martian Dementors”—This image is taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) missions. By abstracting the image, the perspective is shifted and the Martian landscape transforms into something dark and atmospheric. Leonardo Di Maggio cropped the image to give the impression of legs of living creatures, while keeping the overall dark feeling of the photograph.
Source: Astronomy Photographer of the Year
