BBC Sky at Night Magazine proudly reveals the 2021 winners of the world’s biggest astrophotography competition
Every year, the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards calls on astronomers around the world to submit the best images of the Universe they have taken over the previous year. In 2021, over 4,500 entries were submitted from over 75 countries, featuring everything from chance images that captured a meteor at the right time, to distant galaxies that took weeks of planning and capturing. The judges had a tough time deciding which of these spectacular images deserved the top prize of £10,000 but after hours of deliberation, their top picks for the 2021 competition can be revealed. You can see the winning images for yourself at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London from 18 September.
Visit www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto for details.
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A gallery of these and more stunning images from the 2021 competition
Overall winner and Our Sun winner
The Golden Ring
Shuchang Dong (China)
Location: Ali, Tibet, China. 21 June 2020
Equipment: Fujifilm XT-4 camera. Sun: 386mm f/10 lens, ISO 160, 1/2000-second exposure. Moving cloud: ND1000 filter, 386mm f/16 lens, ISO 160, 1-second exposure
Judges verdict: “Solar eclipses have been capturing the interest of humans across the world for thousands of years. This image demonstrates both the beauty and simplicity of an eclipse, but also the science behind this astronomical event. Our Sun can still be seen as a ring circling the Moon as it passes in front of the solar disc, and mountains on the lunar surface can be seen hiding some of this light on the lower right-hand portion of the image. This is a stunning achievement!” – Emily Drabek-Maunder
FREE 2022 CALENDAR
Don’t miss the December issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine, which comes with a free 2022 calendar featuring the top images from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. The calendar also lists all the unmissable astronomical events to observe in the night sky in the upcoming year. It goes on sale on 18 November 2021.
Aurorae
Polar Lights Dance
Dmitrii Rybalka (Russia)
Location: Approach to the Kara Strait, Russia. 30 November 2020
Equipment: Sony ILCE-7M3 camera, 28mm f/2.8 lens. ISO 100, 25-second exposure
Judges verdict: “How challenging it must have been to take this photo. The image is taken from the deck of a moving craft. How hard can it get! This is a great achievement and demonstrates fantastic opportunism.” – Alan Sparrow
Galaxies
The Milky Ring
Zhong Wu (China)
Location: Sichuan and Qinghai, China; Lake Pukaki, New Zealand. January–February 2020 and August 2020–January 2021
Equipment: Nikon D810a camera, 40mm f/1.4 lens. ISO 8000, 1,000x 6-second exposures
Judges verdict: “This cosmic circle is one of the most breathtaking entries we saw this year. The balance of colours, from the glowing upper half of the ring to the darker, moodier bottom half, seems to encompass a whole range of majesty and beauty. The dedication of the photographer, who took almost two years to piece this picture together, must be applauded too.” – Imad Ahmed
Planets, Comets and Asteroids
A Colourful Quadrantid Meteor
Frank Kuszaj (USA)
Location: Cook Station, Missouri, USA. 19 January 2021
Equipment: Sony a7R III camera, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer star tracker, 70mm f/2.8 lens. ISO 3200, 1-minute exposure
Judges verdict: “A stinging, searing, lightsaber-esque image as the Quadrantid meteor pierces the atmosphere, with the spectrum appearing to explode as it goes. There is a real perception of incredible speed captured in the image.” – Jon Culshaw
Our Moon
Beyond the Limb
Nicolas Lefaudeux (France)
Location: Forges-les-Bains, Île-de-France, France. 19 June 2020
Equipment: Celestron C11 2,800mm telescope at f/10, iOptron iEQ30 mount, Basler acA2500-14gc camera. Occultation: 1x 2.5-millisecond exposures; Venus: 50x 2.5-millisecond exposures; Moon: 200x 15-millisecond exposures
Judges verdict: “I love how this image transports us. It almost appears as if we are standing on the surface of the Moon itself, looking into the rocky horizon. The dull surface of the Moon contrasts so well with the glowing planet. I enjoyed the inversion that this picture offers too – it is Venus that is the crescent here, and not the Moon.” – Imad Ahmed >
People and Space
Lockdown
Deepal Ratnayaka (UK)
Location: Windsor, Berkshire, UK. 20–21 January 2021
Equipment: Sony ILCE-6600 camera, 8mm f/4 lens. Foreground: ISO 1600, 8-second exposure; Sky: ISO 1000, 844x 30-second exposures
Judges verdict: “I love this picture taken during the lockdown. Astronomy photography clearly has its challenges but this photographer has embraced these to produce this fabulous picture of his daughter and the stars taken over several sittings. Brilliant.” – Alan Sparrow
The Manju Mehrotra Family Trust Prize for Best Newcomer
Falcon 9 Soars Past the Moon
Paul Eckhardt (USA)
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA. 4 February 2021
Equipment: Sony ILCE-6500 camera, 210mm f/8 lens. ISO 400, 1/350-second exposure
Judges verdict: “This image stands out from many astrophotos and images of spacecraft (mostly ISS) in lunar transit. The right target, the right moment, the right composition – these three aspects make this photo the best. It couldn’t be planned, this photo results from good situation awareness by a talented photographer.” – László Francsics >
Stars and Nebulae
California Dreamin’ NGC 1499
Terry Hancock (UK)
Location: Whitewater, Colorado, USA. 16–31 January, 6 and 28 February, 2 March 2021
Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-130 telescope at f/5, Chroma narrowband filters, Paramount ME mount, QHY600M camera. L-RGB-Ha-SII-OIII composite; 16.1-hours total exposure
Judges verdict: “I absolutely love this image of Thackeray’s globules surrounded by the stunning colours of the California Nebula, appearing as if they were gracefully floating within it.” – Melissa Brobby
Young Competition
Family Photo of the Solar System
Zhipu Wang, aged 15 (China)
Location: Yongtai, Fujian, China. 14 August 2020 – 21 January 2021
Equipment: Celestron C8 SCT telescope, UV/IR cut filter, Celestron AVX mount, ZWO ASI224MC camera. Sun: 200mm f/10 lens, Baader filter, 750x 18-millisecond exposures; Moon: 2x Barlow, 200mm f/10 lens, 2,250x 10-millisecond exposures; Planets: 2x Barlow, 4,000mm f/20 lens, multiple 7–46-millisecond exposures
Judges verdict: “As a planetary scientist I applaud the work that has gone into creating this photo. I really like the composition with the Moon on the right-hand side too.” – Sheila Kanani
Skyscapes
Luna Dunes
Jeffrey Lovelace (USA)
Location: Death Valley National Park, California, USA. 25 February 2020
Equipment: Sony ILCE-7RM4 camera. Sand and sky: 70mm f/8 lens, ISO 400, Sand: 30-second exposure, Sky: 1-second exposure; Moon: 200mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 100, Moon face: 2.5-second exposure, Moon edge: 1/100-second exposure
Judges verdict: “This is a wonderful composition. The colour grading is amazing. Great care has been taken in seamlessly combining all the elements of the scene. A truly spectacular and very well-balanced image.” – Yuri Beletsky
The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation
This prize asks entrants to dive into the wealth of data available from professional telescopes, and put their own spin on the images to create new works of art
Another Cloudy Day on Jupiter
Sergio Díaz Ruiz (Spain)
Data Source: Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3)/UVIS (Ultraviolet-Visible), (26–27 June 2019), FQ889, F631N, F502N, F395N, F467M, F658N, F275W, F343N channels, NASA/ESA HST Space Telescope, OPAL program (PI: Amy Simon, GO13937)
Judges verdict: “The gradient colours captured here are almost reminiscent of glimmering mineral samples. Precious, marbled and undulating, they’re utterly enchanting.” – Sue Prichard
Celestial Fracture
Leonardo Di Maggio (UK) Data Source: Cassini wideangle camera (September 2004–October 2007), visible light channel, NASA/JPL/ Space Science Institute
Judges verdict: “This image looks so incredibly different from how we normally see Saturn, the jewel of the
Solar System. From spheres and rings to jagged edges and jarring curves, these close-up views of Saturn and its moons highlight the planet in new and innovate ways.” – Emily Drabek-Maunder
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THE JUDGES
