{"id":33438,"date":"2023-09-07T13:22:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T11:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3c223919-1bef-49b5-ad49-11d0d49f9010"},"modified":"2023-09-07T18:46:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T16:46:20","slug":"cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Cosmic fireworks: The winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">The shortlist for this year&#8217;s premier astrophotography prize have just been announced. <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By James Cutmore\n      <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Thursday, 07 September 2023 at 11:22 AM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><h1 class=\"entry-title\">Cosmic fireworks: The winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023<\/h1><p>The winners of the prestigious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rmg.co.uk\/whats-on\/astronomy-photographer-year\/exhibition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Astronomy Photographer of the Year<\/a> have been announced in a ceremony at Greenwich. <\/p><p>This is the 15th running of the competition, which celebrates the best in amateur astrophotography from around the world.<\/p><p>xxxxx<\/p><p>The winning images will feature in an exhibition at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rmg.co.uk\/national-maritime-museum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Maritime Museum<\/a> from 16 September 2023.<\/p><h2 id=\"h-winner-our-sun-category-a-sun-question\">Winner \u2013 Our Sun category \u2013 A Sun question<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photograph of the Sun with a huge filament in the shape of a question mark. Solar filaments are arcs of plasma in the Sun\u2019s atmosphere given shape by magnetic fields. Photo by Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Winner \u2013 Planets, comets and asteroids category \u2013 Suspended in a sunbeam<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/PCA_Suspended_in_a_Sunbeam_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Planet venus\" class=\"wp-image-171000\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A unique view of Venus using infrared or ultraviolet false colour. By going beyond the visible part of the spectrum, a myriad of fine detail within the upper atmosphere of the planet is revealed. Photo by Tom Williams<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-winner-skyscapes-category-grand-cosmic-fireworks\">Winner \u2013 Skyscapes category \u2013 Grand cosmic fireworks<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Skyscapes_Grand_Cosmic_Fireworks_72dpi-1.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Cosmic sprites pink lightning\" class=\"wp-image-171005\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sprites are an extremely rare phenomenon of atmospheric luminescence that appear like fireworks. This photograph was taken from the highest ridge of the Himalayan mountains. Photo by Angel An<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-winner-people-and-space-category-zeila\">Winner \u2013 People and space category \u2013 Zeila<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/People_and_Space_Zeila_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,800\" alt=\"Stranded ship with star trails in sky\" class=\"wp-image-170997\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The most northerly part of Namibia\u2019s Atlantic-facing coast is one of the most treacherous coastlines in the world and has gained the name the Skeleton Coast. The ship in this photo, Zeila, was stranded on 25 August 2008 and is still in a well-preserved state. The image shows the delicate colours of different star types. Photo by Vikas Chander<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-winner-young-astronomer-category-the-running-chicken-nebula\">Winner \u2013 Young astronomer category \u2013 The running chicken nebula<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Young_The-Running-Chicken-Nebula_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Nebula in red yellow blue purple pink\" class=\"wp-image-171017\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Running Chicken Nebula, IC2944, is located in the constellation of Centaurus, 6,000 light years away from the Earth. Embedded in the nebula\u2019s glowing gas the star cluster Collinder 249 is visible. Photo by Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Winner \u2013 Aurora category \u2013 Brushstroke<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Aurorae-Brush-Stroke_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Strand of green light across night sky\" class=\"wp-image-170992\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An abstract aurora in the shape of a brushstroke. Unusually, the photographer decided to photograph the aurora in isolation. Location: Utsjoki, Lapland, Finland. Photo by Monika Deviat<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-winner-stars-and-nebulae-category-new-class-of-galactic-nebulae-around-the-star-yy-hya\">Winner \u2013 Stars and nebulae category \u2013 New class of galactic nebulae around the star YY Hya<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"780\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Stars_and_Nebulae_New-class-of-galactic-nebulae-around-the-star-YY-Hya_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,780\" alt=\"Red Stars in deep space with red clouds\" class=\"wp-image-171010\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A team of amateur astronomers, led by Marcel Drechsler from Germany and Xavier Strottner from France, were able to make an important contribution to the study of the evolution of binary star systems: on old images of sky surveys, they discovered a previously unknown galactic nebula. At its centre, a pair of stars surrounded by a common envelope was found. On over 100 nights, more than 360 hours of exposure time were collected. The result shows an ultra-deep stellar remnant that the team has baptised \u2018the heart of the Hydra\u2019. Photo by Marcel Drechsler<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Winner \u2013 Our Moon category \u2013 Mars-set<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Our_Moon_Mars-set_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,800\" alt=\"Moon crater with planet Mars behind\" class=\"wp-image-170993\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An occultation of Mars took place on 8 December 2022. During the occultation, the Moon passed in front of Mars, allowing the astrophotographer to capture both objects together. The image shows Mars behind the Moon\u2019s southern side in impressive detail. Photo by Ethan Chappel<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-the-sir-patrick-moore-prize-for-best-newcomer-sh2-132-blinded-by-the-light\">The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer \u2013 Sh2-132 Blinded by the Light<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1580\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Best-Newcomer-Blinded_by_the_Light_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Cosmic gas and dust clouds\" class=\"wp-image-171012\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Sh2-132 complex lies near the border of the Cepheus and Lacerta constellations and contains multiple deep sky structures. The photograph includes 70 hours of data, the rich interplay of all the gasses reveals something different each time you look at it. Photo by Aaron Wilhelm<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-annie-maunder-prize-for-image-innovation-black-echo\">Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation \u2013 Black echo<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Annie_Maunder_Black_Echo_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Water droplets\" class=\"wp-image-171016\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taking audio source material from NASA\u2019s Chandra Sonification Project, White visually captured the sound of the black hole at the centre of the Perseus Galaxy. The audio was played through a speaker onto which White attached a petri dish, blacked out at the bottom and then filled with about 3 mm of water. Using a macro lens and halo light in a dark room, White experimented with the audio and volumes to explore the various patterns made in the liquid. Photo by John White<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-second-place-aurora-category-circle-of-light\">Second place \u2013 Aurora category \u2013 Circle of light<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"770\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Aurorae-Circle-of-Light.jpg?fit=1024,770\" alt=\"Green aurora about mountain reflected in water\" class=\"wp-image-171034\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A stunning photograph of a vivid aurora over Skagsanden beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway. The mountain in the background is Hustinden, which the aurora appears to encircle. Photo by Andreas Ettl<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-second-place-galaxies-category-the-eyes-galaxies\">Second place \u2013 Galaxies category \u2013 The eyes galaxies<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1100\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Galaxies_The-Eyes-Galaxy_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Two galaxies of different sizes in space\" class=\"wp-image-171036\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Eyes Galaxies (NGC 4438) are the famous interacting galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. They\u2019re small and require a large telescope to reveal their many components, such as the dust in the middle and the tiny flares on the left and right. Those tiny details have rarely been revealed in other amateur images. Photo by Weitang Liang<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-second-place-our-sun-category-dark-star\">Second place \u2013 Our Sun category \u2013 Dark Star<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"875\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Our_Sun_Dark_Star_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,875\" alt=\"Large Sun spot black circle\" class=\"wp-image-171040\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photograph of the Sun turned \u2018inside-out\u2019.\u00a0 The photographer inverted the rectangular image onto polar coordinates to highlight the smaller prominences that occur on the edge of the Sun. Photo by Peter Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-second-place-skyscapes-category-celestial-equator-above-first-world-war-trench-memorial\">Second place \u2013 Skyscapes category \u2013 Celestial Equator Above First World War Trench Memorial<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Skyscapes_Celestial_equator_above_WWI_trenches_Mermorial_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,800\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171042\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Star trails above the preserved First World War trenches in Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park, Northern France. Taken over five hours, the camera captured the rotation of the sky, revealing the colourful stars.\u00a0Photo by Louis Leroux-Gere<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2>Overall winner \u2013 Andromeda, Unexpected<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Galaxies_Andromeda-Unexpected_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Spiral galaxies and stars\" class=\"wp-image-170991\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. It is undoubtedly one of the most photographed deep-sky objects ever. The new discovery of such a large structure in the immediate vicinity of the galaxy was all the more surprising. Photo by Marcel Drechsler\/Xavier Strottner\/Yann Sainty<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-highly-commended-close-encounters-of-the-haslingden-kind\">Highly commended \u2013 Close encounters of the Haslingden kind<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/People_and_Space_Close_Encounters_of_The_Haslingden_Kind_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,800\" alt=\"Star trails about flying saucer-shaped sculpture\" class=\"wp-image-171041\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Haslingden\u2019s Halo is an 18-meter diameter sculpture located in the hills of Lancashire. The photographer took inspiration from the Close Encounters of The Third Kind film poster to create her image. Photo by Katie McGuinness<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 id=\"h-highly-commended-moon-at-nightfall\">Highly commended \u2013 Moon at nightfall<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/09\/Young_Moon-at-Nightfall_72dpi.jpg?fit=1024,750\" alt=\"Time lapse showing Moon rising and getting brighter above bridge\" class=\"wp-image-171045\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A photograph of a moonrise over the Xinghai Bay Bridge in Dalian. Atmospheric extinction alters the hue and brightness of the Moon when it is low on the horizon. In this photo, you can see the Moon appears brighter and less red as it rises in the sky. Photo by Haohan Sun<\/figcaption><\/figure><p><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>xxx<\/li><li>xxx<\/li><li>xxx<\/li><li>xxx<\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The shortlist for this year&#8217;s premier astrophotography prize have just been announced. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":33439,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023.jpg",1200,1200,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023-768x768.jpg",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023-1024x1024.jpg",800,800,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023.jpg",1200,1200,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/09\/cosmic-fireworks-the-winners-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2023.jpg",1200,1200,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The shortlist for this year's premier astrophotography prize have just been announced.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/33438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}