The French Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty and the German Marcel Dreschsler won the award for “Astronomy Photographer of the Year” with a photo of the Andromeda Galaxy accompanied by a plasma arc.
Planet, nebula or star clouds… The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, in its fifteenth edition, was taken up by not one but three amateur astronomers: the German Marcel Drechsler and the French Xavier Strottner Yann Sainty. Here is the full list.
• Photography of the Year
Andromeda, Unexpected – Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty
Name of the winning photo: Andromeda, Unexpected. A name that was by no means chosen by chance, as a gigantic arc of blue plasma can also be seen behind the beautifully captured Andromeda galaxy in the photo. She also won first prize in the “Galaxies” category.
“Scientists are currently studying this new discovery as part of a transnational collaboration,” explain the photographers, “it could be the largest structure of its kind in the universe closest to us.”
• The “Heavenly Landscape” prize.
Big cosmic fireworks display – Angel An
The photo that won the Most Beautiful “Celestial Landscape” award was “Grand Cosmic Fireworks,” taken by Angel An in Tibet. As Angel An stood on the highest ridge of the Himalayan Mountains, he saw goblins, a luminous phenomenon that occurred at very high altitudes above thunderstorms. An ephemeral piece of art for the public on Earth,” Angel An further described.
• The “Our Sun” Prize.
A sunny question – Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
The “Notre Soleil” prize went to the photo “A Sun Question” by Edouardo Schaberg Poupeau. The surface of the sun, which almost appears to be depicted in fine brush strokes, was immortalized here from Santa Fe in Argentina.
Edouardo Scharberg Poupeau believes that with his photography the Sun wanted to show us “in a very vivid way that it is a star with many unanswered questions, as this huge and beautiful thread in the shape of a question mark clearly shows.”
• The “Our Moon” Prize.
Mars Set – Ethan Chappel
In the Our Moon category, Ethan Chappel’s Mars Set featured a depiction of a Martian occultation that occurred on December 8, 2022, when the Moon passed in front of the Red Planet. One of the major celestial events of 2022. “This image is a technical marvel and a visual feast,” said Steve Marsh, judge of this 15th edition of the competition.
• The price of the “Aurora Polar”
Brush stroke – Monika Deviat
The photo that won the Aurora Polar Prize was that of Monika Deviat. It is called “Brushstroke” and was taken in Finland and, according to the photographer, is different from the photos that are usually taken of the northern lights.
“I thought it was a unique and beautiful shape with the spring ends,” said Monika Deviat.
• The Planets, Comets and Asteroids Prize.
Suspended in a Ray of Sun – Tom Williams
“Suspended in a Sunbeam” is the winning photo in the “Planets, Comets and Asteroids” category. It was taken by Tom Williams and, according to him, shows a “unique view” of the planet Venus.
“Venus can be easily found with the naked eye or photographed with a small telescope because it is the planet with the largest angular diameter visible from Earth. But not like this. However, these atmospheric details are captured by the sunny part of the planet.” “The fact that it is so far from Earth is a remarkable achievement,” reacted László Francsics, member of the jury.
• The “People and Space” prize.
Zeila – Vikas Chander
Vikas Chander won the Man and Space award for his photo titled Zeila. It shows a ship stranded on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia under a gray sky dotted with star trails. “It is a hauntingly beautiful image that would make the perfect setting for a ghost story,” commented competition judge Melissa Brobby.
• The Stars and Nebula Prize.
New class of galactic nebulae around the star YY Hya – Marcel Drechsler
In the “Stars and Nebulae” category, the German Marcel Drechsler wins again with “New class of galactic nebulae around the star YY Hya”. The star YY Hya and its interstellar surroundings are immortalized there after more than 360 hours of exposure in an “absolutely breathtaking” way for juror Yuri Beletsky.
• The Sir Patrick Moore Prize
Sh2-132: Blinded by the Light – Aaron Wilhelm
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize – a name given in homage to a famous amateur astronomer – was awarded to Aaron Wilhelm for “Sh2-132: Blinded by the Light.” His motif: the Lion Nebula, named for its shape, which resembles the face and mane of a cat. “A beautiful picture of this field of clouds,” said Steve Marsh, member of the competition jury.
• The “Young Astrophotographer” prize.
The Running Chicken Nebula – Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang
The winner of the Young Astrophotographer award went to Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang for “The Running Chicken Nebula,” a photo taken from El Sauce Observatory in Chile. The nebula IC2944, commonly known as the “Running Chicken Nebula,” is located in the constellation Centaur, about 6,000 light-years from Earth.
• The “Annie Maunder Prize”
Black Echo – John White
The “Annie Maunder Prize”, a Northern Irish astronomer of the 20th century, was finally won by John White for “Black Echo”. What at first glance looks like a drop of water captured from a low angle turns out to be nothing more and nothing less than a visual representation of the sound of a black hole. “It is an image, a sound, produced by an invisible source. Austere, beautiful, quite strange and certainly innovative!” described Dr. Ed Bloomer from the jury.
Hugues Garnier journalist BFMTV