19 January 2012: The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Sky at Night Magazine, launches its 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition today – kicking off its annual global search for the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos, whether they are striking pictures of vast galaxies millions of light years away, or dramatic images of the night sky taken much closer to home.

Entries to the competition must be submitted by midday on 29 June 2012 and the winning images will be showcased in the annual free exhibition at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich from 21 September 2012 to February 2013. Last year the competition, which was first launched in 2009, attracted a record number of entries with over 700 spectacular images submitted from around the world. The competition also saw its first UK overall winner, as amateur astronomer Damian Peach scooped the top prize for his incredibly detailed shot of Jupiter along with two of its 64 known moons, Io and Ganymede, showing the surface of the gas giant streaked with colourful bands and dotted with huge oval storms. Sir Patrick Moore, who is one of the competition judges, was impressed by the quality of entries describing Damian’s shot as a ‘very worthy winner against extremely strong competition’.

Other winning photos from 2011 included: the rich star fields of the Milky Way stretching across a tropical skyline of palm trees by Tunç Tezel (Turkey); the spectacular aftermath of a supernova explosion showing the bright red and blue wispy remnants of the dead star by Marco Lorenzi (Italy); and American newcomer Harley Grady’s image of Zodiacal Light reaching into the sky above a barn in Texas. The Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year accolade was won by 15-year-old Jathin Premjith from India who impressed the judges with his skilfully executed image of the coppery-red Moon taken during a lunar eclipse.

Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and judge in the competition said: ‘Astronomy is becoming increasingly popular with the public which is reflected in the big rise in entries we saw in 2011. Every year the competition has brought new surprises, I love the fact that we receive entries from people all around the world and from complete beginners as well as seasoned experts. All the judges are excited about what we’re going to see this time around.’

The competition is powered by the photo-sharing website Flickr. Photographers can enter online by visiting www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto and each entrant may submit up to five images to the competition.

Competition judge and Sky at Night Magazine Editor, Chris Bramley, said ‘The standard of astro images in 2011 was breathtaking. With once-in-a-lifetime events like the last transit of Venus for 105 years occurring this year, I’m eagerly anticipating the judging of 2012’s entries.’

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2012 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; 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; and Robotic Scope, which was a new prize introduced in 2011, is awarded for the best photo taken using one of the increasing number of computer-controlled telescopes at prime observing sites around the world which can be accessed over the internet by members of the public.

Notes to Editors

• The winners of 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year will be announced at an award ceremony at the Royal Observatory on 20 September 2012. The winning photographs will be exhibited in the Astronomy Centre from 21 September. Entry to the exhibition is 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 and 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
• 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.
• Sky at Night Magazine is the hands-on guide to astronomy for those who want to discover more about the wonders of the Universe from the world’s leading astronomers and writers. Complementing The Sky at Night, the longest-running TV programme in history, the magazine features comment and analysis from its presenters Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott and Pete Lawrence and covers the latest discoveries in astrophysics, practical night-sky observing guides and equipment reviews. It is the definitive publication for astronomers of every level.

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Media interviews:

The Royal Observatory Greenwich’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: Royal Observatory Greenwich Press Office Tel: 020 8312 6790/6545 /6732 | 07960 509 802 or email: press@rmg.co.uk