The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition opens today – kicking off its annual global search for the best and most spectacular visions of the cosmos, whether they are striking pictures of distant nebulae or dramatic images of the night sky.

The 2011 competition runs from 20 January and entries must be submitted by midday on 13 July. Last year the competition, which was first launched in 2009, attracted hundreds of spectacular entries from more than 25 countries.

Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and one of the competition judges said: ‘We received an outstanding range of beautiful astronomical images last year so I’m really looking forward to seeing what new entries 2011 will bring. I love the fact that anyone can enter, from seasoned astrophotographers to complete beginners – you don’t even need a telescope to take great shots of the night sky, a simple digital camera can produce amazing results.’

The competition is run in association with Sky at Night Magazine and photo-sharing website Flickr. Photographers can enter online by visiting www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto and entrants may submit up to five images to the competition. The winning entries will be showcased in the annual exhibition at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich from 9 September 2011 to February 2012.

Last year’s overall winner was American astrophotographer, Tom Lowe, for his picture Blazing Bristlecone, depicting the star-studded Milky Way arching over an ancient bristlecone pine tree, thought to be one of the oldest living trees in the world, having clocked up over 4000 years, standing sentry over the Sierra Nevada. Dr Marek Kukula said ‘This beautiful picture perfectly combines the awe-inspiring vista of the night sky with life here on Earth. The bristlecone pines may be old but they are babies compared to the starlight shining behind them, some of which began its journey towards us almost 30,000 years ago.’

The winner of the deep space category was Rogelio Bernal Andreo (USA), with a highly detailed panorama of a section of the constellation of Orion, including the three famous stars of the belt, the Horsehead Nebula and the Orion Nebula. Andreo said ‘Since winning the prize I believe more people are aware of my work. I hope my images increase people’s wonder and interest in astronomy.’

Other winning photographs from the 2010 competition included a striking vision of a total solar eclipse snapped by Anthony Ayiomamitis (Greece); a cliff top view of the evening sun as it sets behind a rock formation in Big Sur California submitted by Steve Christenson (USA); and British newcomer Ken Mackintosh’s image of the Whirlpool galaxy slowly devouring its smaller neighbour, which perfectly captures the bluish glow of the galaxy's billions of stars alongside the pink haze of hydrogen gas.

Fourteen-year-old Dhruv Arvind Paranjpye from India won the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year accolade and left the judges impressed with his eerie image of a solar eclipse against the cloudy sky.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011 has four main categories:

• Earth and Space – Photographs that include landscape, people and other earth-related things. Alongside an astronomical subject ranging from the stars, the moon or near-Earth phenomena such as the aurora.
• Our Solar System – Imagery which captures the Sun and its family of planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
• Deep Space – Pictures that capture anything beyond the solar system, including stars, nebulae and galaxies.
• Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year – Pictures taken by budding astronomers under the age of 16 years old.

There are also three special prizes: People and Space recognises the best photo featuring people in the shot, and Best Newcomer is awarded to the best photo by an amateur astrophotographer who has taken up the hobby in the last year, and who has not entered an image into the competition before. The Robotic Scope Image of the Year is a new special prize introduced for 2011, which will be awarded for the best photo taken using one of the increasing numbers of computer-controlled telescopes at prime observing sites around the world which can be accessed over the internet by members of the public.

Competition judge and Sky at Night Magazine Editor, Graham Southorn said ‘I’m looking forward to joining the panel of judges again this summer. Last year’s winning photos were incredible – this time around I’m hoping to see some great shots of Mars and Jupiter, both of which were prominent in 2010.’

Notes to Editors

• The winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011 will be announced at an award ceremony at the Royal Observatory on 8 September 2011. The winning photographs will be exhibited in the Astronomy Centre. Entry to the exhibition will be free.
• The overall winner will receive £1,500. Category winners will receive £500. There are also prizes for runners-up (£250) and highly commended (£125) entries. The Special Prize winners will receive £350, with an £125 prize for the People & Space Special Prize runner-up. All of the winning entries will receive a one year subscription to Sky at Night Magazine.
• To view the entries online please visit www.flickr.com/groups/astrophoto.
• The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian and one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. Since its founding in 1675, Greenwich has been at the centre of the measurement of time and space. Visitors can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian line. Today the Observatory galleries and Peter Harrison Planetarium help unravel the extraordinary phenomena of time, space and astronomy.

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Media interviews

The ROG's Modern Astronomy team is dedicated to the public understanding of science and its experts are available to give radio and TV interviews on astronomy – at the historic Observatory site or in the studio.

The Observatory offers a short notice service to media stations looking for comment/ interviews on any aspect of modern astronomy – discussing new discoveries and space missions, telling people what to look for in this month's night sky, or talking about old favourites like black holes, if there life beyond Earth and the origins of the universe.

For studio quality and interviews at short notice an ISDN line is available.

For further information, images please contact:
National Maritime Museum Press Office
Tel: 020 8312 6790/6732/6545 | 07960 509 802 or email: press@rmg.co.uk