Cosmic Wonders Abound in the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Contest

From aurora borealis to the Milky Way to distant nebulae, cosmic phenomena induces wonder like little else. When faced with distant galaxies and the seemingly endless sea of trillions of stars—a trillion trillion, actually, known as a septillion—the sheer scope is impossible to grasp. The universe’s workings may always remain a mystery. So it’s no surprise that when peering up at the night sky, whether it’s homing in on distant stellar clusters or simply watching the moon rise, photography helps us appreciate its enigmatic beauty.

This year’s ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition received more than 5,800 entries from astrophotographers in more than 60 countries. The top prize has been awarded to Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu for their image titled “The Andromeda Core,” captured using a focal-length telescope at AstroCamp Observatory in Nerpio, Spain. The remarkable image details the core of the Andromeda Galaxy, also know as M31, revealing the intricate structure of its center and the incredible array of surrounding stars.

a beautiful photo of the Andromeda galaxy — Overall winner: Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu, “The Andromeda Core”

This year, photographers submitted photos in categories such as Skyscapes, Our Sun, Our Moon, and Stars and Nebulae. Taking the top spot in the Aurore group is Kavan Chay’s “Crown of Light,” shot at Tumbledown Bay in New Zealand. Luis Vilariño’s runner-up image showcases a bright green aurora curtain in the sky over an otherworldly Icelandic landscape.

Explore the winners’ gallery on the Royal Museums Greenwich website, and visit the National Maritime Museum to see the work of more than 100 photographers in beautiful light box presentations. The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 exhibition continues through August 2026.

the Northern Lights over a watery, rocky landscape — Aurorae category winner: Kavan Chay, “Crown of Light”

the moon photographed above a Dolomite mountain ridge — Highly commended in the Skyscapes category: Fabian Dalpiaz, “Moonrise Perfection Over the Dolomites”

an arc of green aurora borealis over a northern landscape — Aurore category runner-up: Luis Vilariño, “Celestial Arch”

a photo of a solar prominence eruption on the Sun — Highly commended in the Our Sun category: PengFei Chou, “500,000 km Solar Prominence Eruption”

an up-close photo of a comet — Planets, Comets, and Asteroids category winner: Dan Bartlett, “Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks Taking a Final Bow”

a photo of refractive light from the moon in a dusky sky — Our Moon category winner: Marcella Giulia Pace, “The Trace of Refraction”

a photo of cosmic threads in the Spaghetti Nebula — Highly commended in the Stars and Nubulae category: Shaoyu Zhang, “Electric Threads of the Lightning Spaghetti Nebula”

a photo of galaxies — Winner of Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer: Yurui Gong and Xizhen Ruan, “Encounter Across Light Years”

a close-up photo of a region on the sun's chromosphere — Our Sun category winner: James Sinclair, “Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Cosmic Wonders Abound in the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Contest appeared first on Colossal.