Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners
Written by Katie Grierson
Copy Edited by Hillary Mitchell
In 1839, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre sat out underneath the same sky we sit underneath now and attempted to photograph the moon. You can almost imagine him sitting outside– shivering from the cold, but undeterred, determined to capture something that had eluded the grasp of humans up to this moment. The moon is mystifying and mysterious, beautiful and far away. It's a constant reminder of the largeness of space, that there is something out there much bigger than any of us. Ultimately, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre guided the telescope wrong, and the photo came out as one fuzzy white dot. Despite the failure of the first known attempt at astronomical photography, we would continue to photograph the sky, trying to capture the moon, and once someone did in 1840, we wouldn’t stop. The winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year carry this need to explore space to our present day, and show us a universe just outside our reach.
The Golden Ring © Shuchang Dong
The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is in its thirteenth year. It is the largest astrophotography competition in the world, and this year attracted over 4,500 entries from countries all over the globe. Those who submitted hope to be chosen to be part of the exhibition, and be named as the winning photographer. This year, Shuchang Dong was given the honor for the photograph The Golden Ring, which shows an annular solar eclipse burning brightly among dark, thick clouds.
Shortlisted photographs are similarly breathtaking. Photographer Min Xie’s Cygnus Loop - Color Splash! takes us 1,500 light-years away to the Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant, and its dramatic colors and wispy form. Speaking about the photo, a competition judge stated: “This is an image that every astronomer and astrophotographer wants to see at least once in their lifetime: the entire, pure Cygnus supernova remnant, cleared from every disturbing element.” The grandness of the Cygnus Loop is inescapable in this photo–I feel both insignificant and mesmerized looking at it.
Göran Strand’s Lunar Halo brings us back down to earth, just above the trees, where the air was cold enough for Strand to capture a lunar halo. This panoramic image was taken in Sweden, and the footsteps leading to and from the trees under this striking moon reminds me how the wonder displayed in astrophotography cannot be seen through only our naked eyes–we need a camera and its long exposure to reveal the beauty often right above us.
In Moon Over Mount Etna South-East Crater by Dario Giannobile the moon watches as Mount Etna erupts. Giannobile, speaking to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, states, “Through the picture I can show to other people how beautiful my land is. I try to promote it. In a way I am giving something to my land.”
Moon Over Mount Etna South East Crater © Dario Giannobile
The winners’ works are currently on display in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 13 exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The show will run from September 18, 2021 to August 7, 2022.
Photo Editor: Chris Zarcadoolas
