Skyscapes 2026

Black, bare-branched trees stand in front of a blanket of curved star trails that make striking, thin stripes across the sky in all different colours. Part of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition 2026

Category winner

Botswana Star Trail by Stefano Pellegrini

"One thing I wanted to try in Botswana was a star trail. I finally had the perfect opportunity in Nxai Pan, a magical place with huge baobab trees. It was like being inside a gothic cathedral; the old sturdy trees were like columns, with their branches creating vaults and arches. I put my camera almost on the ground, facing up, to capture this intricate canopy of branches and the sky behind it. I left the camera shooting with my usual settings, hoping for the best. The next morning, I checked the result – the final count was 340 photos taken in 4 hours. Once the photos were merged, I saw the big difference between a European sky and an African one – the number of stars! The Botswana sky has no light pollution, every single part of the sky had stars in it, and after I had combined all the images together to form the trails I had a completely light sky. I played with the exposure and saturation, resulting in this almost psychedelic image."

Taken in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana, 24 August 2025

An expanse of red, white and grey stars and nebulae appears in a grey, green and light yellow sky above a rocky canyon in the lower half of picture. Part of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition 2026

Runner-up

Cosmic Canyon by Tom Rae

"Above one of the most geologically important points in the Grand Canyon sits the Milky Way core – the brightest region of our galaxy – packed with billions of stars, as well as dust that blocks and scatters their light. In this part of the Grand Canyon, where two ancient rivers collide, millions of years of erosion have revealed some of the oldest exposed rock layers in Arizona. What I like about this scene is the contrast in scale and time captured in the same frame, under genuinely dark, beautiful desert skies."

Taken in Coconino County, Arizona, USA, 30 May 2025

Shell sculpture on pebbly beach with star trails in the sky above and yellow glow on the horizon

Highly commended

I Hear the Stars by João Yordanov Serralheiro

"This image of star trails above the Scallop sculpture on Aldeburgh Beach has been a long time coming while I waited for the right night and conditions. It represents the quiet and peaceful feeling of sitting down by the sea, listening to the waves come and go as time passes by – demonstrated here by the movement of the stars."

Taken in Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk, England, 30 November 2025