Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Capture Mesmerizing Galaxies and Amazing Aurora

Science

Split image: Left, a spiral galaxy with bright red and yellow details; right, vibrant pink, green, and yellow auroras illuminate a rocky seascape under a starry sky.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich’s ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 contest showcases the best astronomical and night sky images of the year, captured by exceptional photographers worldwide. This year’s winning photos include spectacular shots of distant galaxies, unique images of the Sun, magical nightscapes on Earth, and much more.

Astronomy Photographers of the Year

This year’s overall winners are photographers Waiting Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu, who collaborated to capture The Andromeda Core. This grand prize-winning image, captured using a long telescope at the AstroCamp observatory in Nerpio, Spain, shows the core of M31, also known as the Andromeda galaxy. The incredible image reveals the galactic core’s intricate details and surrounding stars.

A detailed image of a spiral galaxy shows a glowing, bright core with swirling arms rich in red and pink hues, dotted with countless stars and star-forming regions against a dark space background.
The Andromeda Core by Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu (China) | Overall Winner, Galaxies Category Winner, Astronomy Photographer of the Year

“We are excited to be awarded and never expected to be the Overall Winner,” the photographers say. “Thanks to ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year, we have the opportunity to bring our work and the splendor of the Universe to everybody.”

“Not to show it all — this is one of the greatest virtues of this photo,” says astrophotographer and competition judge László Francsics. “The Andromeda Galaxy has been photographed in so many different ways and so many times with telescopes that it is hard to imagine a new photo would ever add to what we’ve already seen. But this does just that, an unusual dynamic composition with unprecedented detail that doesn’t obscure the overall scene.”

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

This year’s ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year is Daniele Borsari for his stunning image, Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-Alpha.

“Choosing black and white over bright colors and focusing purely on the shapes and contours of the nebulae is a bold decision that has paid off,” comments Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer and judge Greg Brown.

Black and white image of a nebula in space, filled with swirling clouds of gas and dust, bright stars scattered throughout, and areas of varying light intensity creating a dramatic, ethereal scene.
Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha by Daniele Borsari (Italy) | ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Special Feature — Don Pettit’s Earth from Orbit, Photos From ISS Expedition 72

This year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 has a special feature, showcasing astronaut Don Pettit’s incredible photo, Earth From Orbit. Pettit took the image during his third trip to space on ISS Expedition 72, and it was made possible by a custom star-tracker that he built alongside Ted Kinsman. Kinsman described the design and build process in an article he wrote for PetaPixel.

View of Earth from space at night, showing city lights, a glowing red and green aurora above the atmosphere, and a star-filled sky with a distant galaxy in the background.
Earth From Orbit by Don Pettit (USA) | Special Feature

Pettit is arguably the best photographer ever to go to space and described his latest mission to the ISS and the best shots he captured while in space in a featured interview with PetaPixel earlier this year.

Category Winners of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Contest

Alongside the overall winners, the Royal Observatory Greenwich and its jurors selected winners across numerous categories. The category winners are featured below.

A deep space image showing several galaxies among countless stars, with wispy red nebulae stretching across the scene and faint clouds of interstellar dust in the background.
Cosmic Coincidence: Deer Lick and Stephan’s Quintet on a Ribbon of H-alpha by Deep Sky Collective | Galaxies, Runner-Up
A vibrant aurora borealis glows in pink, green, and yellow hues over a rocky seashore at night, with misty waves and a rock formation at the center under a starry sky.
Crown of Light by Kavan Chay (New Zealand) | Aurorae, Winner
A thin crescent moon appears distorted with wavy patterns against a vibrant orange and purple sunset sky, creating an abstract, dreamy effect.
The Trace of Refraction by Marcella Giulia Pace (Italy) | Our Moon, Winner
Close-up, high-resolution image of a swirling, fiery orange and dark brown pattern, resembling turbulent solar surface activity or sunspots, with textured loops and waves radiating from a central dark area.
Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere by James Sinclair (USA) | Our Sun, Winner
A satellite with orange solar panels orbits near the heavily cratered, gray surface of the Moon against a dark space background.
ISS Lunar Flyby by Tom Williams (UK) | People and Space, Winner
A bright comet with a glowing nucleus and a long, blue-tinged tail streaks across a star-filled night sky. The tail fans out and appears wispy against the dark backdrop of space.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Taking a Final Bow by Dan Bartlett (USA) | Planets, Comets, and Asteroids; Winner
A rocky mountain ridge stretches toward a winding river under a vibrant night sky, featuring the Milky Way arching over jagged peaks and colorful auroras glowing on the horizon.
The Ridge by Tom Rae (New Zealand) | Skyscapes, Winner
A dense, bright cluster of stars glows at the center of the image, surrounded by countless smaller stars scattered across a dark, star-filled background in space.
M13: An Ultar-Deep Exposure of the Popular Cluster by Distant Luminosity (Julian Zoller, Jan Beckmann, Lukas Eisert, and Wolfgang Hummel, all German) | Stars and Nebulae, Winner
A bright green meteor streaks diagonally across a star-filled night sky, with a galaxy visible in the background; the meteor glows and leaves a vivid colorful trail.
Encounter Across Light-Years by Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan (China) | The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer
Abstract grayscale image of geometric shapes and grids, featuring a translucent, three-dimensional cube structure layered over a background with scattered dark spots and intersecting lines, creating a complex, textured pattern.
Fourth Dimension by Leonardo Di Maggio (UK) | Annie Maunder Open Category Winner

“Once again, ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year offers up some of the best astrophotography in the world,” exclaims Dr. Ed Bloomer, Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer and judge. “This year, I believe we’re particularly strong on images which ask the observer to really think about what they’re looking at and investigate just how the astrophotographer has achieved those particular results. This proved true for the judges as well!”

“I think entrants have embraced the notion of being playful and bold and continue to strike out in unexpected directions. Consistently, there is tremendous care and dedication, and such a depth of skill on display.  It’s an extremely strong showcase, with treasures for newcomers, enthusiasts, and even fellow experienced astrophotographers,” Dr. Bloomer concludes.

Additional Selected Photographs

Alongside category winners, runners-up, and highly commended photos were also awarded across the competition’s main categories. All the other award-winning images are available on the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17’s website. A handful of selected photos is featured below.

Bright, colorful swirls of green, blue, and orange filament-like clouds against a dark background, resembling a vibrant nebula or cosmic scene in space.
Veil of Stars by Zixiong Jin (China) | Stars and Nebulae, Runner-Up
A vibrant, cloud-like supernova remnant glows with red and blue wisps against a star-filled background in deep space. The nebula’s filaments form intricate, web-like patterns.
Electric Threads of the Lightning Spaghetti Nebula by Shaoyu Zhang (China) | Stars and Nebulae, Highly Commended
A vibrant, colorful spiral galaxy filled with bright stars, glowing clouds of gas and dust, and sparkling cosmic regions against the dark backdrop of space.
Fireworks by Bence Tóth, Péter Feltóti, Bertalan Kecskés (Hungary) | Galaxies, Highly Commended
A view from the Moon’s surface shows a rugged, cratered landscape under dim light, with a partially illuminated planet—Earth—rising above the horizon against the blackness of space.
Saturnrise by Tom Williams (UK) | Runner Up, Our Moon
A detailed image of the Sun, showing its textured surface, sunspots, and swirling solar prominences, set against a dark background with orange and yellow hues highlighting solar activity.
500,000 km Solar Prominence Eruption by PengFei Chou (China) | Highly Commended, Our Sun
A star-filled night sky shows two prominent star clusters: the blue stars of the Pleiades on the left and the bright, orange stars of the Hyades forming a V shape on the right, both set against a dark sky.
The War God Meets the Beehive by Andre Vilhena (Portugal) | Planets, Comets, and Asteroids; Highly Commended

All the awarded photos will be featured in an exhibition opening tomorrow, September 12, at the National Maritime Museum in London. The winners will also be featured in a book arriving later this month, Astronomy Photographer of the Year, Collection 14. Last year’s publication is still available to purchase from the Royal Museums Greenwich online shop for $30.

Image credits: Royal Observatory Greenwich, Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17. All photographers credited in the image captions.


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