Young Competition 2019

This shot was my favourite in the category. The quality and detail of the final image are simply stunning considering the limited experience photographers in this category have. If 11-year-olds are so interested in space, and are willing to put in the time and effort to produce such images, I can only be optimistic, not just about the astronomy of the future, but science and technology in general. Well done!”

Oana Sandu, Community Coordinator and Communication Strategy Officer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO)

It’s easy to over-brighten nebulae images without intending to. The photographer here has kept the whole field of view gentle and the contrast is perfect. The astute decision to use the Hubble palette really sets this image apart.

Steve Marsh, Art Editor for BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Winner: Stellar Flower

TMB92SS 92 mm apochromatic refractor telescope at f/5.5, Sky-Watcher NEQ-6 mount, QSI 583ws camera, Ha-OIII-SII composite, 16 hours 15 minutes total exposure.

Not for the faint-hearted, close-ups of our star are notoriously difficult to achieve, and this young photographer rivals the most seasoned sun chasers! This image shows a great concentration on details, texture and sharply defined sunspots.

Melanie Vandenbrouck, Curator of Art post-1800 at Royal Museums Greenwich

Runner-Up: AR12699 Sunspot

Celestron C9.25 235 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope at f/10, Baader AstroSolar filter, Sky-Watcher HEQ-5 Pro mount, ZWO ASI224MC camera, multiple stacked exposure.

What a delightful idea to take inspiration from astronomical images in classic art and hunt them down in reality. The fogging up of the eyepiece was great serendipity as it gives a quality to the image as if van Eyck himself had updated the original.

Jon Culshaw, comedian, impersonator and regular guest on The Sky at Night

Highly Commended: Van Eyck's Moon

Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P 200 mm Newtonian reflecting telescope at f/5, afocal projection with Sky-Watcher 25 mm eyepiece, Dobsonian mount, Apple iPad 5th generation camera, 3.3 mm f/2.4 lens, ISO 25, 1/166-second exposure.

Venus is very hard to image. It wobbles and shimmers so much as it is so close to the horizon. That this photographer has captured such a perfect shot here is amazing enough, but the use of IR filters shows real dedication to planetary imaging.

Steve Marsh, Art Editor for BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Highly Commended: Daytime Venus

Celestron 11” EdgeHD 279.4 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope at f/10, Baader 685 nm IR-Pass filter and U-Venus filter, Celestron CGE Pro mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera, IR-UV composite, multiple stacked exposures.

The photographer’s appreciation for the Andromeda Galaxy is obvious. This image is beautifully processed. Fine details, such as dust lanes in the larger of the two satellites, are clearly preserved, and the framing celebrates the enormous scale of the scene.

Tom Kerss, Public Astronomy Officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich

Highly Commended: M31 Andromeda Galaxy

Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED Triplet 80 mm apochromatic refractor telescope at f/5, Celestron AVX mount, Canon 750D camera, ISO 1600, 60 x 300-second exposures.

Polar

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 14 mm f/2 lens, ISO 10000, 4-second exposure.

Our Moon

Celestron 8” EdgeHD 200 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope at f/10, Celestron AVX mount, ZWO ASI178MC camera, mosaic of multiple stacked exposures.

The South Way

Nikon D610 camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 400, 120-second exposure.

The Sun

Altair Astro 80 mm apochromatic refractor telescope at f/6, DayStar QUARK H-alpha filter, Celestron CGX-L mount, ZWO 174 camera, multiple stacked exposures.

The Cygnus Wall

Sky-Watcher ED80 DS Pro 80 mm apochromatic refractor telescope at f/7.5, Baader 7 nm H-alpha filter, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, Canon 1200D camera, ISO 800, 29 x 5-minute exposures

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