And the Winner is...! Astronomy Photographer of the Year Announced

By Nancy Atkinson - September 9, 2011 at 8:05 PM UTC | Site News
Jupiter-with-Io-and-Ganymede-September-2010-©-Damian-Peach.jpg

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Stunning photos alert! Here are some absolutely gorgeous, award-winning photos from amateur astronomers and photographers. Over 700 entries were in the competition for the 2011 Astronomy Photographer of the Year title, and the winners were announced last night at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. This is the third year for the competition, which is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and Sky at Night Magazine.

Damian Peach from the UK won the overall title with this detailed image of Jupiter and several of its Moons.

"There were so many beautiful images this year but this one really stood out for me," said Dr. Marek Kukula, Royal Observatory Public Astronomer. "It looks like a Hubble picture. The detail in Jupiter's clouds and storms is incredible, and the photographer has also managed to capture detail on two of the planet's moons which is remarkable for an image taken from the ground. An amazing photo."

And here are the winning images from the other categories:

[caption id="attachment_88786" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Vela Supernova Remnant © Marco Lorenzi"]

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Deep Space

Marco Lorenzi (Italy) with Vela Supernova Remnant (Winner) Edward Henry (USA) with Leo Triplet (Runner-up) Michael Sidonio (Australia) with Fighting Dragons of Ara (NGC 6188 and 6164) (Highly Commended) Rogelio Bernal Andreo (USA) with Orion, Head to Toe (Highly Commended) Steve Crouch (Australia) with Planetary Nebula Shapley 1 (Highly Commended)

[caption id="attachment_88794" align="aligncenter" width="509" caption="Leo Triplet © Edward Henry"]

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[caption id="attachment_88795" align="aligncenter" width="485" caption="Fighting Dragons of Ara (NGC 6188 and 6164) © Michael Sidonio"]

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[caption id="attachment_88788" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Galactic Paradise © Tunç Tezel"]

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Earth and Space

Tunç Tezel (Turkey) with Galactic Paradise (Winner) Ole C. Salomonsen (Norway) with Divine Presence (Runner-up) Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson (Iceland) with Volcanic Aurora (Highly Commended) Andrew Steele (UK) with Red Moon rising over Oxford (Highly Commended) Mike Kempsey - DT6 Photographic (UK) with Meteor at Midnight, Glastonbury Tor (Highly Commended)

[caption id="attachment_88790" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="ISS and Endeavour Crossing the Sun © Dani Caxete"]

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Our Solar System

Damian Peach (UK) with Jupiter with Io and Ganymede, September 2010 (Winner and overall competition winner) And you can see Damian Peach's video of Jupiter

at this link.)

Paul Haese (Australia) with Dragon Storm (Runner-up) Dani Caxete (Spain) with ISS and Endeavour Crossing the Sun (Highly Commended) George Tarsoudis (Greece) with Crater Petavius, 8 February 2011 (Highly Commended) Peter Ward (Australia) with May 7th Hydrogen-Alpha Sun (Highly Commended)

[caption id="attachment_88792" align="aligncenter" width="575" caption="Lunar Eclipse and Occultation © Jathin Premjith"]

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Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Jathin Premjith (India, aged 15) with Lunar Eclipse and Occultation (Winner) Nicole Sullivan (USA, aged 15) with Starry Night Sky (Runner-up) Peter Pihlmann Pedersen (UK, aged 15) with Crescent Moon (Highly Commended) Tom Chitson (UK aged 15) with First-Quarter Moon (Highly Commended) Jessica Caterson (UK aged 15) with Winter's Moon (Highly Commended)

[caption id="attachment_88793" align="aligncenter" width="427" caption="Starry Night Sky © Nicole Sullivan"]

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[caption id="attachment_88791" align="aligncenter" width="464" caption="Stargazing © Jeffrey Sullivan"]

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Special Prize: People and Space

Jeffrey Sullivan (USA) with Stargazing (Winner) Jean-Baptiste Feldmann (France) with Hunting Moon (Runner-up)

Special Prize: Best Newcomer

Harley Grady (USA) with Zodiacal Light on the Farm (Winner)

Robotic Scope Image of the Year

Marco Lorenzi (Italy) with Shell Galaxies (NGC474 and NGC467) (Winner)

For all the winners and other photos not shown here, you can see more at the

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Flickr site

. If you are in the UK, you can see an exhibition of the winning photos as the Astronomy Centre, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, from September 9, 2011 – February 5, 2012

More info at their website: www.nmm.ac.uk/astrophoto, where you can also find info about the competition for next year -- start planning ahead!

I was able to

attend last year, a

nd the Observatory and the exhibition is not to be missed for anyone interested in space and astronomy!

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com