Solar Eclipse, Falcon 9, and a Cloudy Day on Jupiter: The 12 Best Space Photos of 2021
Discover the stunning winners of the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest, hosted by the Royal Museums Greenwich, showcasing breathtaking cosmic moments captured around the globe.
A Russian photographer took top honors in one of the categories.
The winners of the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest, organized by the Royal Museums Greenwich, have been announced. This year, the grand prize went to an extraordinary photo of the solar eclipse visible worldwide on June 21, 2020. Here are all the winning entries.
Photographer of the Year
The judges awarded this image the highest honor for seamlessly blending science, art, and technological innovation. Captured in Tibet, this photo beautifully illustrates the wonder of a solar eclipse.
Northern Lights
Russian photographer Dmitrii Rybalka captured this mesmerizing image near the Kara Strait. Judge Sue Prichard, senior curator at the Greenwich Museum’s art gallery, commented:
“This photo intrigues me. It’s both beautiful and haunting. The vivid green aurora contrasting with the deep inky blue of the ship creates a velvet-like texture. Yet, the absence of any signs of human life aboard the moving vessel feels like the opening scene of a sci-fi movie.”
Galaxies
This incredible image took approximately two years to create, meticulously composed from numerous smaller photos combined into one spectacular view.
Our Moon
The photographer captured a stunning shot of Venus shining above the lunar surface. It’s hard to believe this image was taken from Earth rather than from the Moon itself.
Humans and Space
The photo titled “Lockdown” resonated deeply with judges, capturing the collective experience of millions confined indoors, gazing out windows with hope during quarantine.
Planets, Comets, and Asteroids
This photo captures a meteor from the annual Quadrantid meteor shower, a spectacular event visible from Earth. The image is a stroke of luck, taken precisely as the meteor streaked across the sky when the photographer pressed the shutter.
Celestial Landscapes
Judges favored this captivating photo of a crescent moon hovering above Death Valley in California, showcasing the beauty of terrestrial and celestial harmony.
Stars and Nebulae
Photographing the California Nebula (NGC 1499) required seven nights of shooting and over 16 hours compiling scattered images into one coherent picture. The photographer had previously captured this nebula and chose it to test a new camera. The result exceeded expectations and impressed the judges.
Young Photographer of the Year
The grand prize in this category went to 15-year-old Chinese photographer Zhipu Wang, who captured a “family photo” of the Sun, Moon, and planets of the Solar System (excluding Earth, of course).
Best Newcomer
The photographer aimed to capture the moment when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket appeared to cross paths with the Moon. He barely managed to find the perfect angle and location, but the effort was well worth it.
Annie Maunder Award for Innovation in Astrophotography
This year, the award was shared by two photographers.
One artist demonstrated that the perception of Saturn and its rings remains unchanged even when the image is sliced into pieces and reassembled in a different order.
The second winner created “Another Cloudy Day on Jupiter,” a project involving extensive shooting and color correction of NASA’s publicly available images.
Explore the shortlists for each category and the equipment used by the winners on the official contest page. Which photo captivated you the most?
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