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Photography

The astonishing winners of the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year

By Rich Haridy
September 22, 2022
The astonishing winners of the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - People and Space. The International Space Station Transiting Tranquility Base. Florence, Arizona, USA. Celestron C11 and Explore Scientific AR127 telescopes, iOptron CEM70 mount, UV/IR Cut filter, ZWO ASI174MM and Sony A7 II cameras, 2,800 mm f/10, 0.3-millisecond exposure
Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - People and Space. The International Space Station Transiting Tranquility Base. Florence, Arizona, USA. Celestron C11 and Explore Scientific AR127 telescopes, iOptron CEM70 mount, UV/IR Cut filter, ZWO ASI174MM and Sony A7 II cameras, 2,800 mm f/10, 0.3-millisecond exposure
View 30 Images
Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - Annie Maunder Prize for Innovation. Solar Tree. Twenty-six images of the Sun from the first part of Solar Cycle 25 have been layered to create concentric rings. The oldest ‘ring’ lies in the centre while the most recent sits furthest away. Month by month, the rings expand or ‘grow’ to form the rings of an imaginary solar tree.
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Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - Annie Maunder Prize for Innovation. Solar Tree. Twenty-six images of the Sun from the first part of Solar Cycle 25 have been layered to create concentric rings. The oldest ‘ring’ lies in the centre while the most recent sits furthest away. Month by month, the rings expand or ‘grow’ to form the rings of an imaginary solar tree.
Winner - Aurorae. In the Embrace of a Green Lady. Hvalnes, Iceland
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Winner - Aurorae. In the Embrace of a Green Lady. Hvalnes, Iceland
Runner Up - Aurorae. Misty Green River. Near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
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Runner Up - Aurorae. Misty Green River. Near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Highly Commended - Aurorae. Winged Aurorae. Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
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Highly Commended - Aurorae. Winged Aurorae. Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
Highly Commended - Galaxies. SMC and the Magellanic Bridge. Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand. Nikon 400mm f/2.8-lens telescope, Rainbow Astro RST-135 mount, Chroma Filters, ZWO ASI6200MM Pro camera, multiple 5-minute exposures totalling 51.25 hours
5/30
Highly Commended - Galaxies. SMC and the Magellanic Bridge. Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand. Nikon 400mm f/2.8-lens telescope, Rainbow Astro RST-135 mount, Chroma Filters, ZWO ASI6200MM Pro camera, multiple 5-minute exposures totalling 51.25 hours
Runner Up - Galaxies. Arp 271, Cosmic Collision. El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile. CDK 1000 telescope and RiDK 700 FL 4900 telescope (RGB values), CDK 1000 mount, FLI 16803 camera, 6000 mm f/6, 32 hours total exposure
6/30
Runner Up - Galaxies. Arp 271, Cosmic Collision. El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile. CDK 1000 telescope and RiDK 700 FL 4900 telescope (RGB values), CDK 1000 mount, FLI 16803 camera, 6000 mm f/6, 32 hours total exposure
Winner - Galaxies. Majestic Sombrero Galaxy. ATEO 16" f/3.7 Dreamscope Astrograph Newtonian telescope, Paramount ME II mount, Baader LRGB filter, FLI Proline 16803 CCD camera, 1558 mm f/3.7, 56 x 300-second Lum. exposures (10 hours total exposure), 1x1 binning
7/30
Winner - Galaxies. Majestic Sombrero Galaxy. ATEO 16" f/3.7 Dreamscope Astrograph Newtonian telescope, Paramount ME II mount, Baader LRGB filter, FLI Proline 16803 CCD camera, 1558 mm f/3.7, 56 x 300-second Lum. exposures (10 hours total exposure), 1x1 binning
Highly Commended - Moon. An Eclipse from a Thousand Sunsets. Lakeville, Minnesota, USA, 19 November 2021. Celestron CPC 1100 telescope, ZWO ASI183MC camera, 2800 mm f/10, 180-millisecond exposures
8/30
Highly Commended - Moon. An Eclipse from a Thousand Sunsets. Lakeville, Minnesota, USA, 19 November 2021. Celestron CPC 1100 telescope, ZWO ASI183MC camera, 2800 mm f/10, 180-millisecond exposures
Runner Up - Moon. Big Mosaic. Porto Mantovano, Lombardy, Italy. Newton GSO 300 mm F5 telescope, ZWO ASI178MM camera, Celestron Ultima 2x lens, 32 frames of varying exposure
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Runner Up - Moon. Big Mosaic. Porto Mantovano, Lombardy, Italy. Newton GSO 300 mm F5 telescope, ZWO ASI178MM camera, Celestron Ultima 2x lens, 32 frames of varying exposure
Winner - Moon. Shadow Prifle of Plato's East Rim. St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. Home-built 444 mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope, home-built Equatorial Tracking Platform mount, Astronomik 642nm IR filter lens, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.8 m f/29, multiple 29-millisecond exposures
10/30
Winner - Moon. Shadow Prifle of Plato's East Rim. St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. Home-built 444 mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope, home-built Equatorial Tracking Platform mount, Astronomik 642nm IR filter lens, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.8 m f/29, multiple 29-millisecond exposures
Runner Up - People and Space. Back to the Spaceship. Buzludzha, Balkan Mountains, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria. Sony A7 III camera, Foreground: 15 mm f/5.6, ISO 100, 3.2-second exposure, Sky: 28 mm f/3.5, ISO 800, 240-second exposure
11/30
Runner Up - People and Space. Back to the Spaceship. Buzludzha, Balkan Mountains, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria. Sony A7 III camera, Foreground: 15 mm f/5.6, ISO 100, 3.2-second exposure, Sky: 28 mm f/3.5, ISO 800, 240-second exposure
Highly Commended - People and Space. Equinox Moon and Glastonbury Tor. Taken with Sigma 150–600 mm telescope, SLIK tripod, Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, 600 mm f/6.37, 1/8-second exposure
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Highly Commended - People and Space. Equinox Moon and Glastonbury Tor. Taken with Sigma 150–600 mm telescope, SLIK tripod, Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, 600 mm f/6.37, 1/8-second exposure
Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - People and Space. The International Space Station Transiting Tranquility Base. Florence, Arizona, USA. Celestron C11 and Explore Scientific AR127 telescopes, iOptron CEM70 mount, UV/IR Cut filter, ZWO ASI174MM and Sony A7 II cameras, 2,800 mm f/10, 0.3-millisecond exposure
13/30
Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner - People and Space. The International Space Station Transiting Tranquility Base. Florence, Arizona, USA. Celestron C11 and Explore Scientific AR127 telescopes, iOptron CEM70 mount, UV/IR Cut filter, ZWO ASI174MM and Sony A7 II cameras, 2,800 mm f/10, 0.3-millisecond exposure
Overall Winner. Disconnection Event. Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Khomas, Namibia. On 25 December 2021, a dramatic tail disconnection event happened. A piece of Comet Leonard’s tail was pinched off and carried away by the solar wind
14/30
Overall Winner. Disconnection Event. Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Khomas, Namibia. On 25 December 2021, a dramatic tail disconnection event happened. A piece of Comet Leonard’s tail was pinched off and carried away by the solar wind
Highly Commended - Planets, Comets and Asteroids. Cosmic Rose. Mayhill, New Mexico, USA. On 4 October 2021, it appeared as though Comet 4P/Faye had split the emission nebula Sh2-261 in the constellation Orion. Planewave CDK20 telescope, Planewave Ascension 200HR mount, FLI ProLine 11002M camera, 2280 mm f/4.5, 3 x 300-second and 18 x 120-second Lum. exposures, 3 x 300-second and 3 x 120-second R/G/B exposures, 3 x 300-second H-alpha exposures
15/30
Highly Commended - Planets, Comets and Asteroids. Cosmic Rose. Mayhill, New Mexico, USA. On 4 October 2021, it appeared as though Comet 4P/Faye had split the emission nebula Sh2-261 in the constellation Orion. Planewave CDK20 telescope, Planewave Ascension 200HR mount, FLI ProLine 11002M camera, 2280 mm f/4.5, 3 x 300-second and 18 x 120-second Lum. exposures, 3 x 300-second and 3 x 120-second R/G/B exposures, 3 x 300-second H-alpha exposures
Runner Up - Planets, Comets and Asteroids. Jovian Family. El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo, Chile. ASA 1000 RC telescope, ZWO ASI174MM camera, aperture 1000 mm, focal length 16,000 mm, multiple video frames
16/30
Runner Up - Planets, Comets and Asteroids. Jovian Family. El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo, Chile. ASA 1000 RC telescope, ZWO ASI174MM camera, aperture 1000 mm, focal length 16,000 mm, multiple video frames
Winner - Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. The Milky Way bridge across big snowy mountains. The Milky Way rises above the Minya Konka Mountain, the highest peak in Sichuan China. Nikon D810 camera, 35 mm f/1.6, ISO 2000, multiple 30-second exposures
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Winner - Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. The Milky Way bridge across big snowy mountains. The Milky Way rises above the Minya Konka Mountain, the highest peak in Sichuan China. Nikon D810 camera, 35 mm f/1.6, ISO 2000, multiple 30-second exposures
Highly Commended - Skyscapes. The Night Highway. Stokksnes Peninsula, Iceland. Sony ILCE-7RM3A camera, 16 mm f/2.8, ISO 3200, 10-second exposure
18/30
Highly Commended - Skyscapes. The Night Highway. Stokksnes Peninsula, Iceland. Sony ILCE-7RM3A camera, 16 mm f/2.8, ISO 3200, 10-second exposure
Runner Up - Skyscapes. Badwater Milky Way. Death Valley, California, USA. iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Nikon Z6 II camera, 14 mm f/3.5 and f/11, ISO 100/1000, Sky: 300-second exposure Foreground: 5-second exposure
19/30
Runner Up - Skyscapes. Badwater Milky Way. Death Valley, California, USA. iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Nikon Z6 II camera, 14 mm f/3.5 and f/11, ISO 100/1000, Sky: 300-second exposure Foreground: 5-second exposure
Winner - Skyscapes. Stabbing into the Stars. Nyingchi, Tibet, China.Sony ILCE-7R3 camera, Tamron 150–500mm lens, 150mm f/5.6, 75 x 30-second exposures
20/30
Winner - Skyscapes. Stabbing into the Stars. Nyingchi, Tibet, China.Sony ILCE-7R3 camera, Tamron 150–500mm lens, 150mm f/5.6, 75 x 30-second exposures
Highly Commended - Stars and Nebulae. The Centre of the Heart Nebula. Törökkoppány, Somogy, and Halásztelek, Pest, Hungary. 200/800 SkyWatcher telescope, SkyWatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Moravian Instruments G3-16200 Mark II camera, 920 mm f/4.6, 13.5-hour exposure (H-alpha), 10-hour exposure (OIII), 10-hour exposure (SII)
21/30
Highly Commended - Stars and Nebulae. The Centre of the Heart Nebula. Törökkoppány, Somogy, and Halásztelek, Pest, Hungary. 200/800 SkyWatcher telescope, SkyWatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Moravian Instruments G3-16200 Mark II camera, 920 mm f/4.6, 13.5-hour exposure (H-alpha), 10-hour exposure (OIII), 10-hour exposure (SII)
Winner - Stars and Nebulae. The Eye of God. Chilescope, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile. The Helix Nebula or NGC 7293. ASA N20 f/3.8 Newtonian telescope, ASA DDM85 mount, FLI Proline 16803 camera, 500 mm f/3.8, 22.5 hours total exposure
22/30
Winner - Stars and Nebulae. The Eye of God. Chilescope, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile. The Helix Nebula or NGC 7293. ASA N20 f/3.8 Newtonian telescope, ASA DDM85 mount, FLI Proline 16803 camera, 500 mm f/3.8, 22.5 hours total exposure
Runner Up - Stars and Nebulae. What a Flaming Star
23/30
Runner Up - Stars and Nebulae. What a Flaming Star! The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405, SH 2-229 or Caldwell 31) is an emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga. Celestron EdgeHD 11 with HyperStar v4 telescope, SkyWatcher EQ8-R Pro mount, Baader Ultra- High-Speed Narrowband filters, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, 540 mm f/1.8, 18 x 300-second exposures per filter (SII/Halpha/OIII)
Highly Commended - Sun. A Giant in the Sun's Limb. Dark Sky Alqueva region, Évora district, Portugal. SkyWatcher Esprit ED120 telescope, SkyWatcher EQ6 mount Daystar Quark Prominence filter, QHYCCD QHY5III174M camera, 840 mm f/7, video capture
24/30
Highly Commended - Sun. A Giant in the Sun's Limb. Dark Sky Alqueva region, Évora district, Portugal. SkyWatcher Esprit ED120 telescope, SkyWatcher EQ6 mount Daystar Quark Prominence filter, QHYCCD QHY5III174M camera, 840 mm f/7, video capture
Winner - Sun. A Year in the Sun. Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Mukherjee imaged the Sun for 365 days between 25 December 2020 and 31 December 2021 (missing just 6 days during this period). After a year, he blended the images to create a single shot
25/30
Winner - Sun. A Year in the Sun. Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Mukherjee imaged the Sun for 365 days between 25 December 2020 and 31 December 2021 (missing just 6 days during this period). After a year, he blended the images to create a single shot
Runner Up - Solar Inferno. Preston, Lancashire, UK. Home-built telescope based on iStar Optical 150 mm objective, Lunt 35 H-alpha etalon lens, EQ6 Pro mount, Basler acA1920-155um camera, 5100 mm f/34, 2,500 x 0.02-second exposures (50-second total exposure)
26/30
Runner Up - Solar Inferno. Preston, Lancashire, UK. Home-built telescope based on iStar Optical 150 mm objective, Lunt 35 H-alpha etalon lens, EQ6 Pro mount, Basler acA1920-155um camera, 5100 mm f/34, 2,500 x 0.02-second exposures (50-second total exposure)
Highly Commended - Young. A Rainbow Rose. Santa Ana, California, USA. CFF Telescopes CFF92 F/6 telescope, Antlia 3-nm H-alpha, OIII and SII filters, SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount, QHYCCD QHY163M camera, 441 mm f/4.8, 6 hours total exposure
27/30
Highly Commended - Young. A Rainbow Rose. Santa Ana, California, USA. CFF Telescopes CFF92 F/6 telescope, Antlia 3-nm H-alpha, OIII and SII filters, SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount, QHYCCD QHY163M camera, 441 mm f/4.8, 6 hours total exposure
Winner - Young. Andromeda Galaxy, The Neighbour. Chuxiong, Yunnan Province, China,. SkyWatcher 150/750P telescope, iOptron CEM70 mount, Antlia LRGB, HYO H-alpha filter, ZWO ASI294MM Pro camera, 750 mm f/5, 17 hours total exposure
28/30
Winner - Young. Andromeda Galaxy, The Neighbour. Chuxiong, Yunnan Province, China,. SkyWatcher 150/750P telescope, iOptron CEM70 mount, Antlia LRGB, HYO H-alpha filter, ZWO ASI294MM Pro camera, 750 mm f/5, 17 hours total exposure
Highly Commended - Young. Mineral Moon Mosaic. Debrecen, Hungary. SkyWatcher 200/1000 Newtonian telescope, SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro GOTO mount, 2 x Barlow lens, ZWO ASI120MC-S camera, 1000 mm f/5, 34 images of 160 x 7-millisecond frames, 1.12 seconds per image, 38.08-second total exposure
29/30
Highly Commended - Young. Mineral Moon Mosaic. Debrecen, Hungary. SkyWatcher 200/1000 Newtonian telescope, SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro GOTO mount, 2 x Barlow lens, ZWO ASI120MC-S camera, 1000 mm f/5, 34 images of 160 x 7-millisecond frames, 1.12 seconds per image, 38.08-second total exposure
Highly Commended - Young. The Crab Nebula in Hydrogen and Oxygen. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Celestron C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, Orion Atlas Pro mount, Optolong L-eNhance filter, ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, 1280 mm f/6.3, multiple 2-minute exposures (2 hours total)
30/30
Highly Commended - Young. The Crab Nebula in Hydrogen and Oxygen. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Celestron C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, Orion Atlas Pro mount, Optolong L-eNhance filter, ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, 1280 mm f/6.3, multiple 2-minute exposures (2 hours total)
View gallery - 30 images

The winner of the 2022 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest is an extraordinary shot of a rarely seen "disconnection event" when solar winds break off a part of a comet’s tail. The image is just one highlight of many in the worlds most prestigious astrophotography contest.

“Once again, we’ve had a great year for astrophotography, and the entrants have produced amazing images for the competition,” said Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich. “The standard is incredibly high. It was really satisfying to see how many entrants challenged themselves to capture unusual, rarely imaged or transient events: there are some things you won’t have seen before, and even some things that won’t be seen again.”

Overall Winner. Disconnection Event. Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Khomas, Namibia. On 25 December 2021, a dramatic tail disconnection event happened. A piece of Comet Leonard’s tail was pinched off and carried away by the solar wind
Overall Winner. Disconnection Event. Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Khomas, Namibia. On 25 December 2021, a dramatic tail disconnection event happened. A piece of Comet Leonard’s tail was pinched off and carried away by the solar wind

The incredible overall winning image this year was taken by Austrian photographer Gerald Rheeman, in Namibia on Christmas Day. The shot looks at Comet Leonard, only discovered in early 2021, and Rheeman was lucky enough to catch a super rare disconnection event before the comet left our solar system never to be seen again.

“A piece of Comet Leonard’s tail was pinched off and carried away by the solar wind," Gerald explained. "I was very lucky that the weather at Tivoli Farm, Namibia, was excellent when I opened the roof of the observatory. I recognized that the comet’s tail looked dramatic in the first image I took, so decided to extend the field of view with a second image and that’s where the disconnection happened."

Winner - Moon. Shadow Prifle of Plato's East Rim. St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. Home-built 444 mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope, home-built Equatorial Tracking Platform mount, Astronomik 642nm IR filter lens, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.8 m f/29, multiple 29-millisecond exposures
Winner - Moon. Shadow Prifle of Plato's East Rim. St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. Home-built 444 mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope, home-built Equatorial Tracking Platform mount, Astronomik 642nm IR filter lens, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.8 m f/29, multiple 29-millisecond exposures

Another highlight came in the winner of a Moon category, from UK photographer Martin Lewis. Judge Steve Marsh said this breathtaking shot highlights the stunning scale of some of these moon craters.

“I never tire of looking at craters on the Moon, but this shot of Plato took my breath away with its long, sweeping shadows,” Marsh said. “If you consider the length and scale of those shadows and the mountains that create them, this image really is a deserving winner.”

Winner - Skyscapes. Stabbing into the Stars. Nyingchi, Tibet, China.Sony ILCE-7R3 camera, Tamron 150–500mm lens, 150mm f/5.6, 75 x 30-second exposures
Winner - Skyscapes. Stabbing into the Stars. Nyingchi, Tibet, China.Sony ILCE-7R3 camera, Tamron 150–500mm lens, 150mm f/5.6, 75 x 30-second exposures

Other impressive highlights show the international space space floating above the site of the 1969 moon landing, stars streaming behind a snow-capped mountain in Tibet, and a truly unique mosaic of several shots of the Sun composed to resemble rings on a tree stump.

Take a look through our gallery at all the spectacular winners from this year’s contest.

Source: RMG

View gallery - 30 images

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PhotographyAstrophotographyAstronomyPhotographyAwardsCompetition
1 comment
Rich Haridy
Rich Haridy
Rich has written for a number of online and print publications over the last decade while also acting as film critic for several radio broadcasters and podcasts. His interests focus on psychedelic science, new media, and science oddities. Rich completed his Masters degree in the Arts back in 2013 before joining New Atlas in 2016.

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Spud Murphy
Some stunning images in there!