The overall winner of Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 16 is Ryan Imperio for his photograph, Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse, that captures the progression of Baily’s beads during the 2023 annular eclipse.

Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse. These are a challenge to capture due to their brevity and the precise timing needed. The image will be on display alongside the winners of the other categories in the accompanying exhibition, opening at the National Maritime Museum on Friday 13 September 2024.

Ryan Imperio said, ‘The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honoured to have my photo among them. I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!’

Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, judge and meteorologist said, ’This is an impressive dissection of the fleeting few seconds during the visibility of the Baily’s beads. This image left me captivated and amazed. It’s exceptional work deserving of high recognition.’

The Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award was won by Daniel Borsari for his image NGC NGC 1499, A Dusty California. Neal White, judge and artist, commented that ‘it demonstrated the future of astronomy photography being fearlessly, and openly, taken forward by a new generation’.

The other winning images include Aurora Borealis over Brighton Seafront by Michael Steven Harris, which beautifully captures the pink hues of the aurora despite the significant light pollution in the area; Tasman Gems by Tom Rae, a Milky Way photograph of the southern hemisphere night sky including the hydrogen clouds of the Gum Nebula and Parallel Lines Over the City by Ran Shen which uses a simple but powerful composition to show the trajectories of Venus and Jupiter over the skyline of Lujiazui, Shanghai. In the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation category, judges awarded the winning prize to Anatomy of a Habitable Planet by Sergio Díaz Ruiz. This image shows Earth as a seemingly alien world as a distant civilisation might study it.

Another of the judges’ favourite images was SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) a group submission by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino and Richard Galli. The photograph captures a previously unknown gigantic supernova remnant (SNR) in the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia, bringing an exciting discovery to the winning images.

Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich said, ‘Once again, I've had the great privilege of being on the judging panel for Astronomy Photographer of the Year – an abundance of astonishing works flood to us, and it is a joy to see what the world's best astrophotographers are producing. It really is true that choosing the winners is a long process, and heavily debated amongst the panel.

This year, I've personally enjoyed what I think is a very strong showing for the Aurorae category. The Young entrants are mightily impressive as well, and the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation is surprising, beautiful and intriguing. But there are wonders spread across every category. Try and see as much as you can at the exhibition, you'll be swept away by what has been created.’

Victoria Lane, Senior Curator, Art and Identity at Royal Museums Greenwich said, ‘It was a privilege to judge the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The range and skill of images, some seemingly impossible to photograph, is astounding. I was particularly impressed by the creativity and innovative approaches of the entries to our Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation, which emphasises the art rather than the science of space.’

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is run by Royal Observatory Greenwich, supported by Liberty Specialty Markets and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. For the 2024 competition there were over 3,500 entries from 58 countries.

Exhibition information for visitors:

Venue: National Maritime Museum, London

Dates: Opening 13 September 2024

Website: rmg.co.uk/shortlist

Visitor Enquiries: 020 8858 4422 | bookings@rmg.co.uk

Twitter: @RMGreenwich #APY16
Instagram: @royalmuseumsgreenwich #APY16

Facebook: /royalmuseumsgreenwich #APY16

Astrophotography Group: facebook.com/groups/astrophotos