Shooting stars: Andromeda Galaxy image wins Astronomy Photographer of the Year
A striking image of the Andromeda Galaxy’s core has been named the Overall Winner of the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 .
The Andromeda Core , by photographers Weitang Liang, Qi Yang and Chuhong Yu, reveals the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region. It was captured using a long focal-length telescope at AstroCamp Observatory in Nerpio, Spain.
Overall winner, The Andromeda Core © Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu (China). This image showcases the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in exceptional detail, captured using a long focal-length telescope. Taking advantage of the excellent seeing conditions at Nerpio, the photographers focused on revealing the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region and its surrounding stellar population. The image will feature in an exhibition opening at the National Maritime Museum, London, on 12 September 2025.
“We are excited to be awarded and never expected to be the Overall Winner,” the trio said.
Judge László Francsics praised the entry for offering a new perspective on a familiar subject: “The Andromeda Galaxy has been photographed countless times, but this does just that, with unusual composition and unprecedented detail.”
Other winners include Daniele Borsari, who took the ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year prize for his monochrome image Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-Alpha .
ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Winner, Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha © Daniele Borsari (Italy). This image was captured with an H-alpha filter to make a monochrome image highlighting the emission nebulae. On the lower left lies the Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33. This dense dark cloud of gases hides the light coming from the emission nebula IC 434 and creates the apparent shape of a horse’s head. A little to the left we find the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The star responsible for the illumination of this nebula, IRS2, is located behind dust and gases and is therefore not visible in the optical spectrum. You can see a selection of some of the competition highlights below.
Aurorae Winner, Crown of Light © Kavan Chay (New Zealand). The image was taken during the G5 storm, the most extreme level of geomagnetic storm, in May. The reds were a level of intensity the photographer had never experienced. Our Moon, Runner up, Saturnrise © Tom Williams (UK). This image shows the tail-end of August’s lunar occultation of Saturn. Although rare for any one location on Earth, 2024 saw a total of ten occultations occur across the globe! The event pictured here occurred near Saturn’s opposition and so coincided with the near-Full Moon. Our sun, Highly commended, 500,000 km Solar Prominence Eruption © PengFei Chou (China). On 7 November 2024, the Sun experienced a massive solar prominence eruption, with a length exceeding 500,000 km (311,000 miles). The eruption lasted approximately one hour from its initial outburst to its conclusion. The eruption phase of the prominence is composed of more than 20 stacked data sets highlighting the entire process of this spectacular event. People and Space Runner-up, Rotation © Takanobu Kurosaki (Japan). In the northern hemisphere, stars appear to rotate around Polaris, which lies near the north celestial pole. This motion, about 15 degrees per hour from east to west, is caused by Earth’s rotation. The giant Ferris wheel at Mirageland in Uozu only operates at night a few times a year, it stands at 66 m (216 ft) high and with a diameter of 62.5 m (205 ft). It takes about 15 minutes for the wheel to make a complete circle. Stars and nebulae, Highly commended. Electric Threads of the Lightning Spaghetti Nebula © Shaoyu Zhang (China). This full-spectrum image of the Spaghetti Nebula unveils the faint and elusive nature of this supernova remnant (SNR), hidden behind a vast cloud of dust that obstructs its emission light. To enhance its visual appeal, Shaoyu Zhang dedicated considerable time to capturing OIII data, intensifying the blue and green hues, while allowing SII and H-alpha to support high dynamic range stretching for added depth. Aurorae Runner up, Celestial Arch © Luis Vilariño (Spain) This image shows an intense aurora, forming an immense arc that spanned more than 180º. A gigantic and perfect green neon sign illuminated the entire sky. Skyscaps winner, The Ridge © Tom Rae (New Zealand). This is the largest panorama Tom Rae has ever captured, with the full resolution image containing over a billion pixels from 62 images stitched together. The photograph captures the twin glacial rivers with the Milky Way core off to the left of the image, as well as the famous Southern Cross and other pointers high in the centre sky. Planets, comets and asteroids, Winner, Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks Taking a Final Bow © Dan Bartlett (USA) Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks reacted visibly to the intensified solar winds associated with the current solar maximum, creating a spectacle of tail dynamics and colourful hues expelled by its nuclear coma, the bright cloud of gas around the comet’s centre. Aurorae, Highly commended, Aurora Over Mono Lake: A Rare Dance of Light © Dan Zafra (Spain). This photograph captures the rare occurrence of Northern Lights in California. Vibrant ribbons of magenta and green light up the sky, reflecting in the still waters among the rock formations. Highly commended, Fireworks © Bence Tóth, Péter Feltóti, Bertalan Kecskés (Hungary). The image shows M33, the Triangulum Galaxy from a new perspective. Due to tidal interaction with M31, there is very prominent star-forming activity in M33, which results in a spectacular structure of emission nebulae. During processing, a separate SHO picture was created with a strong SII/H-alpha presence, the glowing red structures in the picture, and blended with a high-resolution LRGB processing of the continuum data, representing the ‘background’ light.
