Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Showcase Extraordinary Eclipses and Gorgeous Galaxies

Left side: Vivid starry night sky with red and green hues above mountain range and grassy plain, featuring the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. Right side: Detailed, fiery surface of the Sun, displaying intricate swirls and sunspots.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in partnership with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, announced the beautiful winners of its 16th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The images show some of the most incredible cosmic objects and events in the Universe.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Ryan Imperio earned the title “Astronomy Photographer of the Year” and a £10,000 prize for his stunning image, Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse. The photo shows the progression of Baily’s beads during the 2023 annular eclipse.

Abstract image featuring concentric, curved lines of light creating an overlapping pattern and shadow against a dark background. The design forms a bright, crescent-like shape on the left, radiating towards the right.
Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse © Ryan Imperio (USA)

“Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface,” the Royal Observatory explains, “and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse.” Given the very short-term nature of Baily’s beads, it takes a prepared, expert photographer to capture them in a single frame, let alone Imperio’s progressive composite image.

“The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honored to have my photo among them,” Imperio says. “I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!”

“This is an impressive dissection of the fleeting few seconds during the visibility of the Baily’s beads. This image left me captivated and amazed. It’s exceptional work deserving of high recognition,” adds competition judge, meteorologist Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn.

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Daniele Borsari won the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award and £1,500 for the image, NGC 1499, a Dusty California.

A colorful nebula with vivid pink and red hues set against a dark backdrop of space. Multiple bright stars are scattered throughout the image, adding contrast to the cloudy, glowing gas and dust formation. The nebula appears to be expansive and ethereal.
NGC 1499, A Dusty California © Daniele Borsari (Italy), aged 14

Judge and artist Neal White comments that Borsari’s image “demonstrated the future of astronomy photography being fearlessly, and openly, taken forward by a new generation.”

Additional Winning Images

Beyond the two title-winning photos, the esteemed judges selected runner-up and highly commended photos. Peter Ward took second place for his image, Coronal Chronograph, which shows the solar corona at solar maximum and solar minimum. Given the years-long solar cycle, Ward took the images to create this composite six years apart.

Abstract image featuring fine, wispy patterns resembling flowing waterfalls intersecting with a horizontal line across the middle. The design is illuminated with subtle gradients of light blue and white, creating a serene and ethereal atmosphere. Small pink dots appear sparsely along the horizontal line.
Coronal Chronograph © Peter Ward (Australia)

Andras Papp’s Blue turns to Red, our Sun Rotates earned commendation. The image shows the movements of the solar surface as shot through a 3D-printed slit spectrograph connected to a telescope. The setup can show when the mass of the solar surface is about to eject material toward Earth (blue-shifted) or away from it (red-shifted).

A high-resolution close-up image of the Sun, showcasing its textured surface covered in swirling patterns and structures. The overall color scheme is predominantly blue and white with hints of orange and grey, highlighting the Sun's dynamic activity. The background is black.
Blue turns to Red, our Sun Rotates © Andras Papp (Hungary)

“Once again, I’ve had the great privilege of being on the judging panel for Astronomy Photographer of the Year — an abundance of astonishing works flood to us, and it is a joy to see what the world’s best astrophotographers are producing,” says Dr. Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich. “It really is true that choosing the winners is a long process, and heavily debated amongst the panel.”

“This year, I’ve personally enjoyed what I think is a very strong showing for the Aurorae category. The Young entrants are mightily impressive as well, and the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation is surprising, beautiful and intriguing. But there are wonders spread across every category. Try and see as much as you can at the exhibition, you’ll be swept away by what has been created,” Bloomer adds.

Category Winners

Speaking of the Aurorae category, it is one of seven categories in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Each category winner receives £1,500 and is featured below. The winners of the contest’s two special awards, the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation, each receive £750 and are also showcased below.

A serene lakeside landscape under a night sky illuminated by vibrant pink aurora lights. Dark mountains silhouette against the brilliant display, with rocky shores framing the foreground. Gentle reflections of the aurora shimmer on the calm water’s surface.
Aurorae Category Winner — Queenstown Aurora © Larryn Rae (New Zealand)
Close-up of the lunar surface showing a detailed view of numerous craters. A large shadow-filled crater is prominently visible, casting dark silhouettes against the rugged, cratered terrain of the Moon. The image presents a stark and intriguing lunar landscape.
Our Moon Category Winner — Shadow peaks of Sinus Iridum © Gábor Balázs (Hungary)
A high-resolution image of a galaxy known as Centaurus A, with a bright core surrounded by a dark dust lane. Bright stars are scattered across the background, and there are jets of red light emanating from the galaxy's center.
Galaxies Category Winner — Echoes of the Past © Bence Tóth, Péter Feltóti (Hungary)
A detailed image of the Sun's surface with swirling patterns and solar prominences. The International Space Station (ISS) appears as a small silhouette against the bright backdrop of the Sun, showcasing its immense scale in comparison.
People and Space Category Winner — High-Tech Silhouette © Tom Williams (UK)
A composite image showing three crescent views of a planet, progressively moving from the bottom left to the top right against a black background. The planet displays varying shades of brown and orange, with atmospheric or surface details visible.
Planets, Comets, and Asteroids Category Winner — On Approach © Tom Williams (UK)
A vast night sky illuminated with bright stars and colorful nebulae arches over a mountainous landscape. In the foreground, a solitary large rock sits in a grassy field. Snow-capped peaks and rugged cliffs rise in the distance under the vibrant sky.
Skyscapes Category Winner — Tasman Gems © Tom Rae (New Zealand)
A stunning image of a cosmic scene features a vivid ring-like supernova remnant. Bright blue strands of gas and dust intertwine with fiery red and orange hues, creating a mesmerizing, ethereal display against a dark star-filled background.
Stars and Nebulae Category Winner — SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) © Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, Richard Galli (Germany, USA, France, France, France)
An ethereal, bluish nebula floats in the vastness of space, surrounded by a backdrop of red and black interstellar clouds. Stars dot the scene, illuminating the ghostly appearance of the nebula.
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer — SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula © Xin Feng, Miao Gong (China)
A vividly colored enhanced image of Earth shows swirling clouds and weather patterns in striking shades of red, blue, green, and yellow. The exaggerated colors highlight atmospheric circulation and other meteorological features against the black background of space.
Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation — Anatomy of a Habitable Planet © Sergio Díaz Ruiz (Spain)

More from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Competition

“It was a privilege to judge the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The range and skill of images, some seemingly impossible to photograph, is astounding,” says Victoria Lane, senior curator of art and identity at Royal Museums Greenwich. “I was particularly impressed by the creativity and innovative approaches of the entries to our Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation, which emphasizes the art rather than the science of space.”

All the winners will be featured in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London. The show starts on September 13, and admission is free. The winning images will also be included in a book, Astronomy Photographer of the Year, Collection 13, available for £30.

In addition to the winning photographs featured above, the competition also names runner-up and highly commended images for each category. These additional photos, which are also stunning, are available for viewing on the Astronomy Photographer of the Year website and in the exhibition.


Image credits: Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 16 (2024). All photographers are credited in the individual photo captions.

Discussion