{"id":596374,"date":"2026-07-21T07:20:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/596374\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T07:20:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T07:20:39","slug":"see-the-finalists-of-the-2026-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/596374\/","title":{"rendered":"See the Finalists of the 2026 Astronomy Photographer of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Aurorae.<\/p>\n

Aurorae. \u201cAurora Over Causey Reservoir \u00a9 Samuel Morse\u201d (USA).
This stunning aurora shot is a straightforward single-frame image with no compositing or other alterations. The colour balance was pushed slightly towards blue to enhance vibrancy and create colors that complemented the red in the sky.
Taken with a Sony ILCE-7M4 camera, tripod, Laowa AF 10 mm f\/2.8 Zero-D lens, 10 mm f\/2.8, ISO 1600, 30-second exposure
Location: Weber County, Utah, USA, 11 November 2025<\/p>\n

The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year<\/a> competition has just announced its finalists, and the shortlisted images are truly breathtaking. For the 2026 edition of the contest, almost 4,000 photographs were submitted by both professional and amateur creatives from 66 countries around the world. Now, an expert panel of judges from the art and astronomy worlds have narrowed the search for a winner to 29 works across different categories.<\/p>\n

The international competition celebrates all the beautiful ways that space makes itself present on our planet. This includes colorful auroras, such as the pink-hued one Samuel Morse photographed over Utah, and a supermoon crossing the Paris sunset, as captured by Martin Giraud.<\/p>\n

The finalists also feature images of galaxies and planets, many of which were taken through painstaking planning, traveling, dedication, and determination. For example, Jakob Sahner drove deep into the Swiss Alps in the early morning, where he was rewarded with a striking image of Comet C\/2025 A6 (Lemmon). Meanwhile, Tom Williams captured several views of Mars throughout the year, documenting how our neighboring planet changes as the seasons progress.<\/p>\n

The competition, now in its 18th year, is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich with support from astrophotography<\/a> equipment company ZWO and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. The overall champion will receive \u00a310,000 ($13,467), while winners of all other categories and the ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year category will get a cash prize of \u00a31,500 ($2,020). The special prize winners will receive \u00a3750 ($1,010), runners-up will each get \u00a3500 ($673), and auteurs of highly commended entries will walk away with \u00a3250 ($336).<\/p>\n

The overall winner, as well as the first place of each category and two special prizes, will be announced at a ceremony on September 17. The next day, the winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London alongside a selection of shortlisted photographs.<\/p>\n

Check out the 29 shortlisted images for the 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition below.\n<\/p>\n

The ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition has just announced its finalists, and the shortlisted images are truly breathtaking.
\n\"Aurorae.<\/p>\n

Aurorae. \u201cEagle Aurora\u201d \u00a9 Jennifer Rogers (UK).
This image captures an incredible aurora over the mountain peaks at Flakstadpollen in the Lofoten Islands. Jennifer Rogers had seen this bay full of ice earlier in the day and wanted to find it again at night. After setting up the camera, Rogers looked up to see the aurora pulsing across the sky, moving very quickly and creating striking shapes. Within the display, Rogers could see the shape of an eagle spreading its wings over the mountains.
Taken with an astro-modified Canon EOS R6 Mk II camera, 15 mm f\/2.8, Foreground: ISO 3200, 2 x 8-second exposures; Sky: ISO 6400, 2-second exposure
Location: Flakstad, Lofoten, Norway, 19 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"Aurorae.<\/p>\n

Aurorae. \u201cAn Auroral Deluge\u201d \u00a9 Julien Cadena (France).
The camera had been set up facing the iconic \u2018Devil\u2019s Teeth\u2019 peaks on the island of Senja in Norway. Julien Cadena had hoped the Northern Lights would rise directly above the jagged summits, but they flared up in the opposite direction instead. Their intensity and speed were breathtaking.
Taken with a Sony Alpha 7 IV camera, 14 mm f\/2.8, ISO 3200, 1-second exposure
Location: Lyngen, Troms, Norway, 20 January 2026<\/p>\n

\"Galaxies.<\/p>\n

Galaxies. \u201cThe Crimson Vortex and Sapphire Blossoms of Andromeda\u201d \u00a9 Chuhong Yu and Zuoming Wang (Both China).
This deep-field image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) captures its dual nature: a crimson vortex of ionised gas and dust spiralling toward the supermassive black hole at its centre and sapphire \u2018blossoms\u2019 \u2013 luminous blue stellar nurseries \u2013blooming across its spiral arms. Captured in both optical and near-infrared wavelengths, the image reveals the galaxy\u2019s dynamic equilibrium through the striking contrast between red and blue, with matter falling inwards toward the core, while new stars ignite in the arms.
Taken with a Sky Rover 130 mm APO Pro telescope, ScorpioAstro 50-mm LRGB and 7-nm H-alpha and OIII filters, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO mount, QHYCCD QHY600PH-M SBFL (short back focal length) camera, 910 mm f\/7, 111 hours and 25 minutes total exposure
Location: Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province, China, 26\u201327, 29\u201331 August, 1\u20132, 13\u201324, 26\u201329 September and 16\u201321 October 2025<\/p>\n

\"Cosmic<\/p>\n

Galaxies. \u201cCosmic Neighbours: Beauty and the Beast\u201d \u00a9 Yijing Zhu and Xinghan Yang (Both China).
This image captures a dramatic cosmic pairing: the serene elegance of Bode\u2019s Galaxy (M81, left) alongside the chaotic violence of the Cigar Galaxy (M82, right). Located about 12 million light years from Earth, the gravitational interaction of these two neighbours has shaped their forms. M81 retains its perfect grand design spiral form, a picture of galactic grace. In stark contrast, M82 is a starburst galaxy, reeling from a close encounter with its larger companion. This gravitational disturbance has triggered a furious burst of star formation at its core, blasting out spectacular red filaments of superheated hydrogen gas that are clearly visible in this deep exposure.
Taken with a Sky Rover 155 APO Pro telescope, iOptron CEM70 mount, QHYCCD QHY600M camera, 992 mm f\/6.4, 600 seconds per frame, 49 hours total integration
Location: \u00dcr\u00fcmqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, 17, 20, 28, 30 November and 25 December 2025<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Moon. \u201cSupermoon Path Over Paris at Sunset\u201d \u00a9 Martin Giraud (France).
Martin Giraud chose to photograph the first Full Moon of the year over the Paris skyline. The Eiffel Tower was 6.3 km (3.9 miles) away from their position, and the Sacr\u00e9-C\u0153ur Basilica was 11.1 km (6.9 miles) away. This explains why the Moon appears so large in the frame. The location offered the perfect alignment between the buildings and the rising Moon.
The Moon rose just before sunset, allowing Giraud to capture the vivid colours and Belt of Venus [a pinkish band of light visible at twilight] in the background.
Taken with a Canon EOS 6D camera, Sigma 150-600 mm lens, 500 mm f\/8, ISO 100, 1\/60-second exposure.
Location: Meudon, \u00cele-de-France, France, 3 January 2026<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Moon. \u201cShadow Moon\u201d \u00a9 Richard Addis (UK).
Richard Addis had always wanted to create a composite image using photographs of every lunar phase from the New Moon to the Full Moon. In April 2025, with two weeks of clear skies (a huge rarity in the UK) Addis was able to collect enough data to assemble this photograph.
The image reveals shadow detail across the entire lunar surface, a sight that cannot be seen during a Full Moon, when the surface is fully illuminated. This approach emphasises the lunar landscape, creating a striking and beautiful study.
Taken with a Celestron NexStar 6SE telescope, Celestron Advanced GT mount, ZWO ASI120MC camera, 1,500 mm f\/10, approximately 7,000 x 1\u20136-millisecond exposures
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, England, 31 March\u201314 April 2025<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Moon. \u201cWatched by the Moon\u201d \u00a9 Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Gely (France).
Once a month, the Moon rises just as the Sun sets, creating fantastic natural scenes. Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Gely found the perfect spot, with the iconic peak of Bric Bouchet, from which to photograph the Moon.
Taken with a Sky-Watcher 80ED telescope, Sony ILCE-7S camera, 600 mm f\/7.5, ISO 400, 1\/500-second exposure.
Location: Arvieux, Provence-Alpes-C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur, France, 5 November 2025<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Sun. \u201cThe Savannah Tree\u201d \u00a9 Rafael Schmall (Hungary).
The sky is rarely clear during the winter, but when the weather is good and the Sun is shining, it is definitely worth observing our star with an H-alpha telescope. This is because there are still prominences erupting from it that can take on many shapes, such as the acacia tree in this image. Prominences like this one are huge \u2013 they are so big that Earth would fit under the \u2018tree\u2019 many times.
Taken with a Lunt LS100 telescope, Lunt B1800 filter, Fornax 150 mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 700 mm f\/7, Gain 180, 6-second exposure.
Location: Somogy County, Southern Transdanubia, Hungary, 18 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Sun. \u201cMoody Partial Solar Eclipse\u201d \u00a9 James McBeath (UK).
Here, the partial solar eclipse of 2025 was shot through fast-moving clouds on what was a beautiful spring morning. James McBeath spent several hours in a local park tracking the eclipse with his camera, showing many passers-by what he was doing and giving them a good view of the eclipse. McBeath ended up with hundreds of shots, but this one, with the clouds framing the Sun perfectly, immediately caught his eye.
Taken with a Sony ILCE-7 camera, Canon EF 300 mm USM lens with 2x teleconverter, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini mount, Pig Iron 720-nm R-72 Infrared filter, 600 mm f\/18, ISO 100, 1\/3,200-second exposure.
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, 29 March 2025<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

Our Sun. \u201cSuspended Plasma\u201d \u00a9 Mario Cogo (Italy).
The solar limb, presented in inverted tones and enhanced colour, reveals a filaprom [filament-prominence] that rises like an arc of fire shaped by invisible magnetic forces. Nearby, a filament winds across the luminous surface, cutting through the incandescent plasma. The tonal inversion heightens the contrast and creates a vivid sense of three-dimensionality, revealing the dynamic nature of our star.
Taken with a home-built refractor, iStar Optical H-alpha 150 mm f\/10 lens, Solar Spectrum 0.5A\u00b0 H-alpha filter, Lunt 40 and Baader TZ-4 telecentric system, Astro-Physics 1200GTO mount, Player One Astronomy Apollo M-Max camera, 6,000 mm f\/40, 33 x 10.6-millisecond exposures.
Location: Monticello Conte Otto, Vicenza, Italy, 15 May 2025<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People & Space. \u201cGolden Moonrise Over Seattle\u201d \u00a9 AJ Smadi (USA).
This picture reveals the city of Seattle, illuminated at twilight during a summer sunset. Above it, the orange Buck Moon is rising. The colour of the Moon reflected in Seattle\u2019s skyline casts a golden light over the entire city, its deep glow adding presence to the image and providing a contrast to the sleek lines of the intricate architecture with its raw and rugged terrain.
Taken with a Canon EOS 6D camera, 600 mm f\/7.1, ISO 800, 1\/125-second exposure.
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA, 11 July 2025<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People & Space. \u201cFairyland\u201d \u00a9 Uro\u0161 Fink (Slovenia).
Velika Planina is one of the most beautiful places in Slovenia. In the foreground of this image, a settlement with the wooden huts characteristic of the area can be seen, while in the background the core of the Milky Way rises in all its beauty.
Taken with an astro-modified Nikon Z 6II camera, Move Shoot Move Nomad star tracker, 20 mm, Foreground: f\/2.0, ISO 1600, 8 x 60-second focus-stacked exposures; Sky: f\/2.0, ISO 800, 5 x 60-second exposures.
Location: Velika Planina, Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Slovenia, 28<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People & Space. \u201cFifteen Minutes of Moonset and Sunrise Over the Golden Gate\u201d \u00a9 Fredric Walder (USA).
This composite image shows five separate captures of the setting Full Moon, taken as the sky changed from a deep blue, in which the pinkish glow known as the Belt of Venus was visible, to full golden-hour illumination. Fredric Walder attempted to show the evolution of both the colour and luminosity of the sky by keeping the lunar disc approximately the same brightness in each section.
Taken with a Nikon Z 8 camera, 150 to 380 mm, f\/9, ISO 1000, multiple 1.25- to 2.5-millisecond exposures.
Location: San Francisco, California, USA, 2 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People & Space. \u201cVortex\u201d \u00a9 Jennifer Rogers (UK).
This image of a star trail aligned with the chimney of the former tin mine Wheal Owles in Cornwall was taken on a cold night in February. Jennifer Rogers took time to position Polaris directly above the chimney in the composition.
Taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 14 mm f\/2.8, ISO 1600, Foreground: 1 x 60-second exposure; Star trail: 72 x 60-second exposures.
Location: West Wheal Owles, Cornwall, England, 22 February 2025<\/p>\n

\"Planets,<\/p>\n

Planets, Comets & Asteroids. \u201cComet C\/2025 A6 (Lemmon) Over the Swiss Alps\u201d \u00a9 Jakob Sahner (Germany).
This photograph shows Comet C\/2025 A6 (Lemmon) in the early hours of the morning. Jakob Sahner drove deep into the Swiss Alps to make the most of the last clear night before the new Moon cycle. The landscape was breathtaking and made a perfect foreground for the comet.
Taken with a Nikon Z 7 camera, Move Shoot Move Nomad star tracker, TTArtisans AF 85 mm f\/1.8 lens, 85 mm f\/2.2, ISO 800, Foreground: 120-second exposure; Sky: 38 x 30-second exposures.
Location: Tujetsch, Graub\u00fcnden, Switzerland, 18 October 2025<\/p>\n

\"Planets,<\/p>\n

Planets, Comets & Asteroids. \u201cMars in 2025\u201d \u00a9 Tom Williams (UK).
This composite image shows several views of Mars after it reached opposition, the point at which Earth was directly between Mars and the Sun. All the images were captured at the same scale, highlighting how quickly the planet decreases in apparent size as it recedes from Earth. Seasonal changes are also visible, with the polar ice cap shrinking as the planet\u2019s northern hemisphere enters local spring\/summer.
Taken with a custom 600 mm (24\u2033) Dobsonian reflector, UV\/IR cut filter, Player-One Astronomy Uranus-C camera, 10,500 mm f\/17.5, multiple 10-millisecond exposures
Location: Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 3 January, 16, 25 February, 15, 22 March, 13 and 27 April 2025<\/p>\n

\"Skyscapes.<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cI Hear the Stars\u201d \u00a9 Jo\u00e3o Yordanov Serralheiro (Portugal).
This image of star trails above the Scallop sculpture on Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk, had been a long time in the making, as Jo\u00e3o Yordanov Serralheiro waited for the right night and conditions. It represents the quiet and peaceful feeling of sitting by the sea, listening to the waves come and go as time passes by \u2013demonstrated here by the movement of the stars.
Taken with a Sony Alpha 7 III camera, 35 mm f\/2.8, ISO 400, 120 x 30-second exposures.
Location: Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk, England, 30 November 2025<\/p>\n

\"Skyscapes.<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cMeteor Shower\u201d Over the Big Dipper \u00a9 ZhiPu Wang (China).
The Geminid meteor shower was once again reliable in 2025, with numerous bright meteors. After its radiant [the point from which the meteors appear to emanate] rose on the night of 14 December, the sky was filled with falling stars.
ZhiPu Wang had originally planned to photograph only the Big Dipper, using a soft-focus filter to enhance the star points, but during the shoot he noticed a great number of meteors in the field of view, so adjusted his settings to capture them. Within three hours, he had captured dozens of meteors.
Taken with a Nikon Z f camera, Viltrox 16 mm lens, 16 mm f\/2, ISO 8000, 4-second exposure.
Location: Sanming, Fujian Province, China, 15 December 2025<\/p>\n

\"Path<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cPath Towards the Stars\u201d \u00a9 Matteo Strassera (Italy).
This panorama was taken in Tenerife, in the rocky and volcanic landscape of the Teide Plateau. Here, bushes and flowers find their way through the hardened lava.
Matteo Strassera composed the image to show the path winding around the peaks and pointing towards the galaxy. Strassera had less than an hour before the arc of the Milky Way rose too high in the sky to capture the panorama, so he rushed to capture all the detail that a 35-mm focal length can offer.
Taken with a Canon EOS R5 camera, Benro Polaris tripod head, Foreground: 14 mm f\/4, ISO 4320, 8 x 121-second exposures; Sky: 35 mm f\/1.6, ISO 400, 32 x 60-second exposures.
Location: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 25 June 2025<\/p>\n

\"Skyscapes.<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cSetsu-getsu-ka\u201d \u00a9 Takanobu Kurosaki (Japan).
\u2018Setsu-getsu-ka\u2019 is a traditional Japanese expression that means \u2018snow, moon and flowers\u2019. This photograph captures that trio at the Funakawa River by framing Mount Asahi \u2013 Asahi\u2019s symbolic peak \u2013 and cherry blossom trees under a lunar halo and a rare, faint tangent arc [optical phenomena caused by the refraction of moonlight through ice crystals in clouds]. The blossoms last for only about 10 days, making their synchronisation with the snow-capped mountain and these atmospheric optics a once-in-a-season miracle. To emphasise the fragility of the scene, Takanobu Kurosaki captured this as a single exposure rather than a composite.
Taken with a Sony ILCE-7RM5 camera, Sony FE 24\u2013105 mm f\/4 G OSS lens, 29 mm f\/4, ISO 800, 6-second exposure.
Location: Asahi, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, 9 April 2025<\/p>\n

\"Skyscapes.<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cTe Hoho Rock Moonrise\u201d \u00a9 Evan McKay (Aotearoa\/New Zealand).
On this particular night, Evan McKay had only a small window to capture the sky before the Moon started to rise. McKay polar-aligned his mount during twilight and then began shooting the sky panorama from this location. The moonlight provided the best of both worlds and did a fantastic job of lighting up the foreground. To enhance the sky, McKay captured a separate panorama using a dual narrowband filter and blended it in to bring out the nebulae.
Taken with a Nikon Z 6a camera, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount, Move Shoot Move Nomad star tracker, Sigma 40 mm Art lens, Optolong L-Para filter, 40 mm, Foreground: f\/2.8, ISO 800, 30-second exposure; Sky: f\/2, ISO 1600, multiple 15-second RGB exposures, multiple 2-minute exposures with filter
Location: Cathedral Cove, Waikato, North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand, 8 January 2026<\/p>\n

\"Skyscapes.<\/p>\n

Skyscapes. \u201cThe Celestial Gate\u201d \u00a9 Yoshiki Abe (Japan).
At Nata Beach, a solitary torii gate stands amid the waves. It marks a sacred site where one of the Japanese deities is said to have first descended to Earth. With the M8 and M20 nebulae shimmering in the background, the gate appears as a true portal to the heavens.
Taken with a Sony ILCE-7RM5 camera, 200 mm, Foreground: f\/5.6, ISO 320, 240-second exposure; Sky: f\/4.0, ISO 3200, 34 x 60-second exposures; H-alpha: f\/2.8, ISO 6400, 28 x 120-second exposures.
Location: Kitsuki, \u014cita Prefecture, Japan, 22 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"Stars<\/p>\n

Stars & Nebulae. \u201cNGC 7293: The Helix Nebula\u201d \u00a9 Humbert C\u00e9dric (France).
NGC 7293, better known as the Helix Nebula, is one of the closest and most spectacular planetary nebulae observable from Earth. It is located about 650 light years away in the constellation Aquarius.
\u2028The extremely hot core emits intense ultraviolet radiation that ionises the surrounding gas, causing it to glow with spectacular colours. Billions of years from now, the Sun could meet a similar fate, so nebulae like this offer astronomers a unique opportunity to study the final stages of the evolution of stars similar to the Sun.
Taken with a TS-Optics 14\u2033 ONTC f\/5 telescope, 50-nm H-alpha and OIII filters, Optolong L-Pro 2\u2033 and L-Ultimate 2\u2033 filters, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount, Player One Astronomy Poseidon-MM camera, 1,800 mm f\/5, 180 x 300-second H-alpha exposures (15 hours), 120 x 300-second OIII exposures (10 hours), 60 x 300-second Optolong L-Pro 2\u2033 exposures (5 hours), 130 x 300-second Optolong L-Ultimate 2\u2033 exposures (10 hours 50 minutes), 43 hours total exposure
Location: Elqui Province, Coquimbo, Chile, 14 September 2025<\/p>\n

\"Stars<\/p>\n

Stars & Nebulae. \u201cGum 37: The Southern Tadpoles (or \u2018Teapot Nebula’)\u201d \u00a9 Ani Shastry (USA).
Gum 37 is an HII complex in the southern sky, where stellar radiation carves pillars, rims and curling shock fronts. It is commonly called the Southern Tadpoles Nebula, but Ani Shastry suggests it resembles a cosmic teapot.
Taken with a PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 telescope, PlaneWave Instruments CDK500 mount, Moravian Instruments C3-61000 Pro camera, 3,454 mm f\/6.8, 20 x 1,200-second H-alpha exposures, 20 x 1,200-second OIII exposures, 20 x 1,200-second SII exposures, 30 x 120-second R, G and B exposures, 23 hours total exposure
Location: El Sauce Observatory, R\u00edo Hurtado, Chile, 10 February 2026<\/p>\n

\"Stars<\/p>\n

Stars & Nebulae. \u201cA Deep Look Into the Milky Way’s Core\u201d \u00a9 Jakob Sahner (Germany).
This Milky Way mosaic was captured using two cameras \u2013 one for RGB colour and one for H-alpha \u2013 to record as much detail and structure as possible.
The project nearly fell apart when unexpected Newton\u2019s rings (an optical phenomenon that can occur when working with filters) appeared in many of the panels after stacking. Jakob Sahner considered abandoning the entire dataset, but eventually found a way to correct most of it and preserve the image. In the end, it became a roughly 750-megapixel mosaic.
Taken with a Sony Alpha 7 III and Nikon Z 6 cameras, Samyang 135 mm f\/2 lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi mount, 135 mm f\/2, ISO 1600, 1,950 x 90-second H-alpha exposures, 2,182 x 90-second RGB exposures.
Location: Koireb, Windhoek Rural, Namibia, 19 May\u20131 June 2025<\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n

Best Newcomer. \u201cColourful Aurora and Waterfall\u201d \u00a9 Yifan Cao (China).
Yifan Cao witnessed a major aurora outburst in Iceland, during which the whole sky shone green, red and purple. Go\u00f0afoss Waterfall is a famous scenic spot that is strongly linked to Norse mythology.
Taken with a Nikon Z 6III camera, 16 mm f\/2.2, ISO 4000, 6-second exposure
Location: Go\u00f0afoss Waterfall, \u00deingeyjarsveit, Iceland, 27 February 2025<\/p>\n

\"Dancing<\/p>\n

ZWO Young. \u201cDancing Flames\u201d \u00a9 \u4e0e\u6668 \u6797, aged 14 (China).
This high-resolution H-alpha image of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere was captured from the photographer\u2019s home in decent seeing conditions. It reveals intricate surface details, including sunspots, solar flares, filaments and prominences along the solar limb.
Taken with an Acuter Elite Phoenix 40 H-Alpha solar telescope, ZWO AM5 mount, ToupTek G3M678M camera, 400 mm f\/10, 1,000 x 10-millisecond exposures
Location: Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, 11 February 2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Annie Maunder Open Category. \u201cSolargraph 182 Days\u201d \u00a9 Ksawery Wrobel (USA).
Solargraphy is a photographic technique that uses a homemade pinhole camera and photosensitive paper to create extremely long exposures. Depending on how long the camera remains in place, the final image records the Sun\u2019s path across the sky from dawn to dusk, as well as its gradual shift from north to south (or vice versa) between the solstices. Each bright streak represents a day of sunlight. If a streak is missing, it means the Sun was hidden by clouds. This method makes it possible to expose the paper for weeks, months, or even years.
Ksawery Wrobel uses small round aluminium jars, as they are easy to install in urban spaces.
Taken with a homemade pinhole camera, Kodak Kodabrome II RC paper, 23.5 mm f\/130, 182 days total exposure from 17 July 2022\u201315 January 2023<\/p>\n

ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Website<\/a><\/strong>
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by\u00a0ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year.
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\nAfter Seeing 400 Auroras, This Astrophotographer Shares His Tips for Seeing Them Yourself [Interview]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aurorae. \u201cAurora Over Causey Reservoir \u00a9 Samuel Morse\u201d (USA).This stunning aurora shot is a straightforward single-frame image with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[267],"tags":[365,362,363,364,13548,366,18,117,19,17,240162],"class_list":["post-596374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-astrophotography","tag-design","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-zwo-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116956761673474373","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}