Planets, Comets and Asteroids 2026

Category winner

Saturnian Equinox by Tom Williams

"2025 saw a rare ring-plane crossing of Saturn, when its rings appear almost edge-on from Earth – a key milestone in the planet’s nearly 30-year journey around the Sun," Tom says.

"This striking view was captured a few months after Saturn’s equinox, which marks the start of local spring in the planet’s southern hemisphere."

Taken in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 22 August 2025

Icy image of Uranus surrounded by a ring

Runner-up

The Uranian System by Tom Williams

"This HDR (high dynamic range) image was captured in excellent conditions and shows the Uranian system in all its glory," Tom says.

"Utilising both an infrared (IR) pass filter and longer exposures makes it possible to detect not only the moons orbiting Uranus, but also the brightest member of its elusive ring system – the epsilon ring."

Taken in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 11–12 October 2025

Comet C/2026 A6 (Lemmon) streaking across the sky with a long dust tail against a backdrop of stars

Highly commended

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), 28 October by Julien De Winter and Landon Boehm

"C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) was probably the most impressive comet of 2025. This image was taken from the Starfront Observatories in Texas, when the comet was approximately 101 million km (nearly 63 million miles) from Earth," Julien and Landon say.

"A few days before it reached perihelion on 8 November, its closest approach to the Sun, the comet was already displaying remarkable activity and offered an extraordinary sight in the night sky."

Taken in Coleman County, Texas, USA, 28 October 2025