The Astronomy Photographer Of The Year Award Winners 2023

18 SEP, 2023

Ayaan Paul Chowdhury

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

The Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 awards have celebrated the most astonishing celestial images captured by talented photographers from around the world.

the awards

These remarkable images demonstrate the boundless beauty and mysteries of our universe, inviting us to explore the cosmos through the lens of these talented photographers. Here's a look at this years winners and finalists and their captivating astrophotography...

this year's finalists

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Amateur astronomers Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, and Yann Sainty made an extraordinary discovery of a massive plasma arc near the Andromeda Galaxy, drawing global attention and scientific interest.

Galaxy Category/Overall Winner: Andromeda, Unexpected

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

The Eyes Galaxies, NGC 4438, revealed intricate details, including dust and flares, in this remarkable image by Weitang Liang.

Galaxy Category Runner-Up: The Eyes Galaxies

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Paul Montague's deep-space photograph featuring galaxies NGC 5078, IC879, and NGC 5101.

Galaxy Category Highly Commended: Neighbors

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

An abstract and mesmerizing aurora resembling a brushstroke was captured with artistic finesse by Monika Deviat.

Aurora Category Winner: Brushstroke

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Andreas Ettl's mesmerizing photograph of a vivid aurora over Skagsanden beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway, encircling the mountain Hustinden.

Aurora Category Runner-Up: Circle of Light

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Chester Hall-Fernandez's vivid capture of a colorful aurora over Birdlings Flat, New Zealand, due to increased solar activity.

Aurora Category Highly Commended: Fire on the Horizon

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

A rare occultation of Mars by the moon, offering a stunning celestial spectacle, was expertly captured by Ethan Chappel.

Our Moon Category Winner: Mars-Set

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Tom Williams's dramatic capture of the Plato Crater during a local lunar sunset, revealing the moon's surface with shifting shadows.

Our Moon Category Runner-Up: Sundown on the Terminator

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Miguel Claro's photograph of the last full moon of 2022 with a colorful lunar corona and Mars visible.

Our Moon Category Highly Commended: Last Full Moon of the Year

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau's mosaic image showcased the sun's enigmatic filament formation in the shape of a question mark.

Our Sun Category Winner: A Sun Question

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Peter Ward's unique inverted image of the sun, highlighting smaller prominences along the sun's edge in polar coordinates.

Our Sun Category Runner-Up: Dark Star

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Mehmet Ergün's image capturing the sun during its maximum cycle with a large solar flare.

Our Sun Category Highly Commended: The Great Solar Flare

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Vikas Chander's photograph of the stranded ship Zeila against the backdrop of the Skeleton Coast revealed the celestial wonders above this treacherous coastline.

People & Space Category Winner: Zeila

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Andrew McCarthy's incredible alignment of the International Space Station with the Tycho Crater, creating the illusion of the station orbiting our moon.

People & Space Category Runner-Up: A Visit to Tycho

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Katie McGuinness's image of Haslingden's Halo, showing stars rotating around Polaris.

People & Space Category Highly Commended: Close Encounters of The Haslingden Kind

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Angel An's exceptional photograph captured rare atmospheric phenomena known as sprites, resembling cosmic fireworks, from the Himalayan mountains.

Skyscapes Category Winner: Grand Cosmic Fireworks

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Angel An's exceptional photograph captured the rare atmospheric phenomena in Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park.

Skyscapes Category Runner-Up: Celestial Equator Above First World War Trench Memorial

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Peter Hoszang's photograph of rare noctilucent clouds around the summer solstice in Hungary.

Skyscapes Category Highly Commended: Noctilucent Night

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Amateur astronomers Marcel Drechsler and Xavier Strottner's discovery of a galactic nebula surrounding a pair of stars.

Stars & Nebulae Category  Winner: New Class of Galactic Nebulae

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Anthony Quintile's photograph of LDN 1448, a lesser-known molecular cloud near NGC 1333, showcasing fascinating dust patterns.

Stars & Nebulae Category Runner-Up: LDN 1448 et al

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

James Baguley's stunning photograph capturing the iconic thick, molecular cloud of the Fenrir Nebula against the dense red backdrop of hydrogen gas.

Stars & Nebulae Category Highly Commended: The Dark Wolf Fenrir

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang's captivating image of the Running Chicken Nebula in the Centaurus constellation.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winner: The Running Chicken Nebula

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Haocheng Li and Runwei Xu's image of Pleiades, revealing over 1,000 stars in the open star cluster, giving it a beautiful blue hue.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Category Runner-Up: Blue Spirit Drifting in the Clouds

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Yanhao Mo's image of the Rosette Nebula, achieved using narrowband-filter processing.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Category Highly Commended: Roses Blooming in the Dark

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

Aaron Wilhelm's deep sky image of the Sh2-132 complex, near the Cepheus and Lacerta constellations, showcases the interplay of gasses and offers a fresh perspective on celestial beauty.

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer Winner: Sh2-132: Blinded by the Light

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich

John White's innovative creation, "Black Echo," visually captures the sound of a black hole at the center of the Perseus Galaxy, using audio from NASA's Chandra Sonification Project.

Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Winner: Black Echo

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich