From 1-gigapixel images to 22-hour exposures – check out the winners of this inspiring astronomy photography competition

The night sky remains one of photography's most captivating and challenging subjects – endlessly vast, enormously mysterious and deeply rewarding to capture. Each year, the Royal Observatory Greenwich celebrates this wonder by announcing the winners of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition – a contest that never fails to inspire with its exceptional entries.

Dr Ed Bloomer, Royal Observatory Greenwich Astronomer and judge, puts it well. "Once again, ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year offers up some of the best astrophotography in the world.

"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!"

From sweeping falacies to delicate auroras, from the serene glow of the Moon to the fierce brilliance of our Sun, this year's winners reveal the extraordinary beauty of the cosmos. If you want to discover more winning work, visit the Royal Observatory Greenwich website.

And for a truly immersive experience, the new exhibition opens on September 12, showcasing over 100 photographs displayed on lightboxes that bring these cosmic scenes to life.

Adding to the exhibition's allure, this year features a special highlight: Earth from Orbit, a photograph taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 72.

The winners

Overall winner

The Andromeda Core by Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu

This image showcases the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in exceptional detail, captured using a long focal-length telescope. Taking advantage of the excellent seeing conditions at Nerpio, the photographers focused on revealing the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region and its surrounding stellar population.

Taken with a PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 telescope, Baader LRGB and Chroma H-alpha filters, PlaneWave Instruments L500 mount, Moravian Instruments C3-61000 Pro camera, 3,450 mm focal length, 500 mm f/6.8, multiple 900-second R, G and B exposures, multiple 1,800-second H-alpha exposures, 38 hours total exposure.

Our Sun

Active Region of the Sun's Chromosphere by James Sinclair

The chromosphere is the most picturesque part of the Sun. Composed of hydrogen and helium plasma, it is manipulated by the intense and tangled magnetic fields of the Sun. The Sun’s chromosphere does not just change day by day, it changes second by second, which is why solar astrophotographers become obsessed with it.

Taken with a Lunt 130 mm telescope with double-stacked Etalons, Lunt Block Filter 3400 (34 mm), Sky-Watcher EQ6 R Pro mount, Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max camera, 910 mm f/28, Gain 310, 10-second exposure.

People & Space

ISS Lunar Flyby by Tom Williams

This image shows the International Space Station making a close pass of our Moon. The event was predicted to be a transit but ended up being a close flyby. However, the result is still dramatic, with the station’s solar arrays backlit by the rising Sun. Notably, the white radiators can also be seen and are illuminated by earthshine rather than direct sunlight.

Taken with a Sky-Watcher 400P GoTo Dobsonian telescope, Player Astronomy Uranus-C (IMX585) camera, 300 mm f/15.5, 1.5-millisecond exposure

Skyscapes

The Ridge by Tom Rae

This is the largest panorama Tom Rae has ever captured, with the full resolution image containing over a billion pixels from 62 images stitched together. The photograph captures the twin glacial rivers with the Milky Way core off to the left of the image, as well as the famous Southern Cross and other pointers high in the centre sky.

Taken with a Nikon Z6 (astromodified) and Z7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount. Sky: Nikon Z6(a) camera, 40 mm f/1.8, ISO 1,600, 49 x 30-second exposures; Foreground: Nikon Z7 camera, 24 mm f/10, ISO 125, 13 x 20-second exposures.

ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha by Daniele Borsari (Italy)

This image was captured with an H-alpha filter to make a monochrome image highlighting the emission nebulae.

On the lower left lies the Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33. This dense dark cloud of gases hides the light coming from the emission nebula IC 434 and creates the apparent shape of a horse’s head.

A little to the left we find the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The star responsible for the illumination of this nebula, IRS2, is located behind dust and gases and is therefore not visible in the optical spectrum.

And finally, in the upper-right of the image, is M42, famously known as the Orion Nebula. This nebula is a huge cloud of dust and gas where a lot of new stars are born. The energy released by the four central stars (the Trapezium Cluster) shapes the nebula, ionising the gas components.

Taken with a Player One Astronomy Ares-M Pro camera, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 lens, 135mm f/2.8, 45 x 60-second exposures and 262 x 300-second exposures, 22 hours and 35 minutes total exposure.

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Browse the best cameras for astrophotography along with the best lenses for astrophotography. And if you think about entering a competition, here are 10 global photo competitions, open from September until January, that are just waiting to explore your work.