See Ten Dazzling Space Images From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards
JULY 18, 2023
From comets to nebulas to the Milky Way, the shots shortlisted in the annual competition capture the beauty of the cosmos from Earth
RCW58, a Wolf-Rayet bubble nebula, is made of ejected material from the star WR 40, which shines at the center of the image.
© Mark Hanson, Mike Selby
Carlyn Kranking
Assistant Editor, Science and Innovation
Just for a moment, the James Webb Space Telescope and its dazzling images can take a seat, because it’s the Earth-based photographers’ time to shine.
In the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest, skywatchers from across the world vie for the coveted title and the £10,000 ($13,000) grand prize. This year, images of gigantic solar flares, colorful glowing gas and dust and transient comets above Earth’s breathtaking terrain have impressed the judges so far.
The contest, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, is currently in its 15th year. Amateur and professional photographers from 64 countries submitted some 4,000 images, which entered the running for nine category prizes, two special prizes and one overall prize. Winners will be announced on September 14.
Until then, the judges have narrowed the entry pool to a shortlist of images that capture the beauty of the cosmos, as seen from our home planet. Here is a selection of ten of these stunning submissions.
Dune, by Burak Esenbey
The Milky Way and Venus appear above White Desert National Park in Egypt © Burak Esenbey
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-ten-dazzling-space-images-from-the-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180982555/