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20 September 2026 · 0 views

31 Winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The 31 Out-of-this-World Winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in partnership with ZWO, represents the global benchmark for astronomical imaging and night-sky photography Source 1. For its 18th edition, the contest evaluated thousands of submissions from international astrophotographers, selecting 31 standout images across various astronomical disciplines Source 1, Source 9.

The selected works document deep-space phenomena, intricate planetary surfaces, dynamic solar behavior, terrestrial nightscapes, and atmospheric light displays Source 9. The winning collection highlights technical precision, observational dedication, and modern advancements in image sensor technology and computational processing.

Overall Winner: “The Quiet Predator” by Ali Alobaidly

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                              OVERALL WINNER                             |
|  Title: "The Quiet Predator"                                            |
|  Photographer: Ali Alobaidly                                            |
|  Subject: LDN 1235 (The Shark Nebula) in Cepheus                        |
|  Award: Overall Title & £10,000 Grand Prize                             |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Winning Capture of the Shark Nebula

The top honor of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 went to Ali Alobaidly for his deep-space image titled “The Quiet Predator” Source 1, Source 5. The subject is LDN 1235, commonly referred to as the Shark Nebula, located roughly 650 light-years from Earth in the northern constellation Cepheus Source 3.

LDN 1235 is classified as a Lynds Dark Nebula—an interstellar cloud of gas and cosmic dust dense enough to obscure background light from stars and emission regions. Embedded within the structure are smaller reflection nebulae, including van den Bergh 149 and 150 (vdB 149 and vdB 150), which scatter the high-energy blue light emitted by internal stars.

Alobaidly’s rendering balances dynamic range and low-surface-brightness visibility. The photograph reveals the structure of interstellar dust filaments against the background starfield:

  • Tonal Gradation: Clear delineation between dense molecular clouds and tenuous outer dust lanes.
  • Color Calibration: Accurate reproduction of the dusty interstellar medium, showing faint reflection signatures alongside extended brown-tinted dust.
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): Effective noise suppression across the background while retaining structural sharpness within the nebula’s core.

Prize and Recognition

Ali Alobaidly received the £10,000 grand prize for the achievement Source 3. Beyond competition success, Alobaidly uses astrophotography to assist astronomical research and widen public interest in observational astronomy Source 5, Source 7. His work demonstrates how dedicated amateur setups can resolve fine structures within faint molecular clouds.

Competition Structure and Prize Breakdown

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition consists of eight adult categories, a dedicated Youth Division, and two special awards Source 1. Across all sections, a total of 31 entries received primary awards, runner-up places, or highly commended designations Source 1, Source 9.

+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| Category / Award Division          | Prize Allocation                   |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| Overall Winner (Ali Alobaidly)     | £10,000                            |
| 8 Primary Adult Category Winners   | £1,500 each                        |
| Special Award Honorees (Strimpoulis)| £1,500                             |
| Youth Division Winner              | Category Trophy & Equipment Grants |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+

Each primary category winner, alongside special recognition honorees such as Strimpoulis, received £1,500 Source 1. The eight primary adult categories comprise:

  1. Skyscapes: Landscape astrophotography featuring twilight, stars, or the Milky Way alongside earthly terrain.
  2. Aurorae: Polar light displays resulting from solar wind interactions with Earth’s magnetosphere.
  3. People and Space: Images showing the relationship between humanity and the night sky.
  4. Our Sun: Solar photography focusing on the photosphere, chromosphere, sunspots, and prominences.
  5. Our Moon: High-resolution lunar landscapes, occultations, and phases.
  6. Planets, Comets, and Asteroids: Targets within the solar system, including inner/outer planets and minor bodies.
  7. Stars and Nebulae: Deep-sky targets within the Milky Way, including emission, reflection, and dark nebulae.
  8. Galaxies: Deep-space targets located outside the Milky Way galaxy.

Deep Space and Nebula Category Winners

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|                  DEEP-SKY IMAGING TECHNICAL PIPELINE                    |
|                                                                         |
|  [Target Selection] -> [Narrowband/Broadband Acquisition]               |
|         |                                                               |
|  [Calibration]      -> (Darks, Flats, Biases Frame Correction)          |
|         |                                                               |
|  [Registration]     -> Sub-pixel Star Alignment & Stacking              |
|         |                                                               |
|  [Post-Processing]  -> Star De-emphasis, Dynamic Range Stretching       |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Dust Clouds, Nebulae, and Star Formation

The Stars and Nebulae category features high-resolution imaging of stellar nurseries, supernova remnants, and molecular clouds. The 31 honored photographs in this division demonstrate specialized acquisition methods designed to maximize dynamic range and contrast Source 1, Source 9:

  • Narrowband Filter Applications: Use of Hydrogen-alpha ($H\alpha$, $656.3\text{ nm}$), Doubly Ionized Oxygen ($[O\ III]$, $500.7\text{ nm}$), and Ionized Sulfur ($[S\ II]$, $672.4\text{ nm}$) filters to isolate specific emission lines while rejecting ambient light pollution.
  • High-Integration Long Exposures: Multi-night exposure sequences exceeding dozens of total integration hours, essential for boosting the signal of low-surface-brightness targets like LDN 1235.
  • Sub-Arcsecond Tracking and Guiding: Equatorial mounts using autoguiding algorithms to eliminate tracking errors, preventing star elongation during individual exposures lasting between 300 and 1,800 seconds.

Winning entries captured turbulent interactions where stellar radiation carves cavities out of interstellar clouds. These images isolate complex shock fronts in supernova remnants and ionized gas boundaries in active $H\ II$ regions.

Distant Galaxies and Cosmic Structures

The Galaxies category focuses on extragalactic structures, from nearby spiral systems in the Local Group to distant interacting galaxy clusters millions of light-years away. Key achievements include:

  • Tidal Stream Resolution: Detection of faint stellar streams produced by gravitational disruption during galactic mergers.
  • Extragalactic Dust Lane Detail: Sharp rendering of dust filaments slicing through galactic nuclei.
  • Star-Forming Regions in Sister Galaxies: Integration of $H\alpha$ exposures with broadband luminance data to highlight active star formation nodes within the spiral arms of external galaxies.

Aurorae and Skyscapes

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                  ATMOSPHERIC & LANDSCAPE PHENOMENA                      |
|                                                                         |
|   Solar CME / Solar Wind  -----> Earth's Magnetosphere                  |
|                                         |                               |
|                                   Ion Collision                         |
|                                         |                               |
|                       +-----------------+-----------------+             |
|                       |                                   |             |
|                Oxygen ($557.7\text{ nm}$)       Nitrogen ($391.4\text{ nm}$)   |
|                 -> Emerald Green                 -> Blue / Deep Violet  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Polar Lights and Dynamic Atmospheric Displays

The Aurorae category highlights geomagnetic events produced when charged particles from solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) collide with atoms in Earth’s upper atmosphere Source 9. Winning photographs captured during the 18th competition cycle benefited from peak activity within the solar cycle, creating pronounced auroral curtains at both northern and southern latitudes.

+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------+
| Emission Species | Emission Wavelength   | Visible Color                |
+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------+
| Atomic Oxygen    | 557.7 nm              | Emerald Green (Lower Alt)    |
| Atomic Oxygen    | 630.0 nm              | Crimson Red (High Altitude)  |
| Molecular Nitrogen| 391.4 nm / 427.8 nm   | Blue / Violet / Purple Fringe|
+------------------+-----------------------+------------------------------+

Winning images displayed real-time movement through high-sensitivity sensors (high ISO, wide-aperture lenses from $f/1.4$ to $f/2.8$), capturing rapid-moving auroral rays without motion blur.

Celestial Landscapes and Night Scenery

The Skyscapes category balances the terrestrial environment with astronomical events. The 31 winning works include compositions showing desert formations, mountain ranges, and architectural monuments framed by constellations, airglow, zodiacal light, and the core of the Milky Way Source 1, Source 9.

Photographers in this category used advanced methods:

  • Foreground Focus Stacking: Combining multiple exposures at varying focal planes to maintain depth of field from foreground elements to the stars.
  • Panoramic Stitching: High-resolution multi-panel mosaics mapping wide expanses of the night sky above natural landscapes.
  • Low-Level Lighting (LLL): Natural, low-intensity continuous lighting used to illuminate foreground subjects without washing out faint starlight.

Solar, Lunar, and Planetary System Highlights

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     SOLAR SYSTEM OBSERVATION MODES                      |
|                                                                         |
|   [Our Sun]      -> Solar Etalons (0.5 Å Bandpass) -> Chromosphere      |
|   [Our Moon]     -> Lucky Imaging High-Frame-Rate -> Lunar Regolith     |
|   [Planets]      -> Infrared/RGB Dispersion Correction -> Storm Bands   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Our Sun and Moon in Focus

The Sun and Moon categories highlight high-resolution imaging of our closest celestial neighbors.

Winning solar images used dedicated solar telescopes equipped with Fabry-Pérot etalon filters, narrowing incoming light to sub-angstrom bandpasses at the $656.28\text{ nm}$ Hydrogen-alpha line. These systems resolve:

  • Chromospheric Spicules: Dynamic plasma jets extending upward across the solar limb.
  • Active Regions and Sunspots: Umbra and penumbra structures mapped alongside magnetic field lines.
  • Solar Prominences and Flares: Filamentary plasma structures suspended within the Sun’s corona.

Lunar imagery showcased lunar topography through low-angle terminator illumination, emphasizing crater rims, rilles, and central peaks. Mineral saturation mapping revealed variations in titanium and iron content across lunar basaltic maria.

Planetary Phenomena and Comets

The Planets, Comets, and Asteroids category featured images of fast-moving minor bodies and high-resolution planetary disks.

  • Lucky Imaging on Gas Giants: Photographers recorded high-frame-rate video streams (often exceeding 100 frames per second), selecting and stacking only the sharpest frames using algorithmic sorting. This method counteracted atmospheric turbulence, resolving cloud features in Jupiter’s atmosphere and fine divisions within Saturn’s ring system.
  • Cometary Dynamics: Photographers mapped comet ion and dust tails, tracking high-speed inner solar system visitors against background stars.

Youth Competition and Special Award Honorees

Next-Generation Astrophotographers

The Youth Division highlights photographers under the age of 16 who demonstrate mastery of complex astrophotography workflows Source 1. Youth honorees produced technically sound captures of deep-sky objects, the Moon, and atmospheric phenomena, reflecting early proficiency with equatorial mounts, tracking cameras, and calibration workflows.

Innovation and Special Achievements

The competition also recognized technical innovation and emerging talent through special awards Source 1:

  • The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer: Awarded to photographers who entered the discipline recently but produced competition-level results.
  • The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation: Recognizes innovative processing of open-source astronomical data from professional spacecraft and observatories (such as JWST, Hubble, and ESO platforms).
  • Special Recognition (£1,500 Prize): Photographers including Strimpoulis received awards for technical execution and creative contributions to the field Source 1.

The Role of Astrophotography in Modern Science Communication

Astrophotography translates abstract astrophysical data into accessible visual formats. The 31 winning images from this competition highlight the connection between creative imaging and astronomical research Source 1, Source 5:

  1. Amateur-Professional Scientific Collaboration (Pro-Am): Long-exposure amateur images help discover unknown planetary nebulae, detect faint supernova remnants, and track dynamic changes in cometary ion tails.
  2. Dark-Sky Awareness and Preservation: Wide-field skyscapes document the loss of dark skies worldwide, illustrating the impact of artificial light on ground-based observational astronomy.
  3. Educational Outreach: High-resolution space imagery engages the public, providing visible context for astronomical concepts like stellar lifecycles, galactic evolution, and space weather Source 5, Source 7.

Conclusion

The 18th edition of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition brought together technical precision and creative vision across 31 winning entries Source 1, Source 9. Led by Ali Alobaidly’s capture of the Shark Nebula (“The Quiet Predator”), the collection illustrates the capabilities of modern imaging equipment in deep-space and wide-field night-sky photography Source 3, Source 5.

The full collection of 31 winning photographs is showcased through Royal Museums Greenwich exhibition spaces and public digital galleries, serving as a global benchmark for modern astrophotographers Source 1, Source 9.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the overall Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 title?

Ali Alobaidly won the overall title and the £10,000 grand prize for his photograph titled “The Quiet Predator,” depicting the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235) Source 1, Source 3, Source 5.

How many winning images are featured in the competition?

The competition selected 31 winning photographs across eight primary categories, a youth division, and two special awards Source 1, Source 9.

Who organizes the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition?

The competition is organized annually by Royal Museums Greenwich (Royal Observatory Greenwich) in partnership with main sponsor ZWO Source 1, Source 3.

What are the primary categories in the competition?

The contest features categories covering Skyscapes, Aurorae, People and Space, Our Sun, Our Moon, Planets, Comets and Asteroids, Stars and Nebulae, Galaxies, the Youth Competition, and Special Recognition Awards Source 1.

What prize money do category winners receive?

Primary category winners and special award recipients receive a £1,500 cash prize, while the overall competition winner receives £10,000 Source 1, Source 3.

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