Reading: 11 winning space images from 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year

11 winning space images from 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Last updated: 2025/09/19 at 12:53 AM

News Room Published 19 September 2025

Space is the final frontier – and even though our knowledge of it is expanding, it can still take our breath away. Every year the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition sees people around the world submit striking space photographs and an expert panel of judges will then select the best images from each category and together decide on the winning images. These images then go on display at the National Maritime Museum in London. So, who has won this year? (Picture: Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Skyscapes Winner The Ridge ? Tom Rae (New Zealand) This is the largest panorama Tom Rae has ever captured, with the full resolution image containing over a billion pixels from 62 images stitched together. The photograph captures the twin glacial rivers with the Milky Way core off to the left of the image, as well as the famous Southern Cross and other pointers high in the centre sky. Taken with a Nikon Z 6a and Z 7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sky: Nikon Z 6a camera, 40 mm f/1.8, ISO 1,600, 49 x 30-second exposures; Foreground: Nikon Z 7 camera, 24 mm f/10, ISO 125, 13 x 20-second exposures Location: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Mackenzie District, New Zealand, 8 April 2024 — This piece is known as The Ridge by Tom Rae. Competition judge Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn said: ‘There is so much to love in this image. It is absolutely breathtaking. The vibrant colours of the landscape, the night sky and the individual stars are all remarkable. The photographer has captured impressive depth in the Milky Way, including the added hydrogen regions, without overdoing it. I appreciate how the airglow appears to cradle the sky, and the landscape contributes to a very balanced composition. Truly eye-catching and dreamy’ (Picture: Tom Rae)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Galaxies winner and Overall winner The Andromeda Core ? Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu (China) This image showcases the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in exceptional detail, captured using a long focal-length telescope. Taking advantage of the excellent seeing conditions at Nerpio, the photographers focused on revealing the intricate structure of the galaxy?s central region and its surrounding stellar population. Taken with a PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 telescope, Baader LRGB and Chroma H-alpha filters, PlaneWave Instruments L500 mount, Moravian Instruments C3-61000 Pro camera, 3,450 mm focal length, 500 mm f/6.8, multiple 900-second R, G and B exposures, multiple 1,800-second H-alpha exposures, 38 hours total exposure Location: AstroCamp Observatory, Nerpio, Spain, 31 July, 2, 4?6, 14, 17, 20, 29, 31 August and 1 September 2024 — This picture is known as The Andromeda Core by Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu. László Francsics said: ‘Not to show it all − this is one of the greatest virtues of this photo. The Andromeda Galaxy has been photographed in so many different ways and so many times with telescopes that it is hard to imagine a new photo would ever add to what we’ve already seen. But this does just that, an unusual dynamic composition with unprecedented detail that doesn’t obscure the overall scene’ (Picture: Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Our Moon Winner The Trace of Refraction ? Marcella Giulia Pace (Italy) This image captures the phenomenon of atmospheric refraction, where moonlight passes through dense layers of Earth?s atmosphere near the horizon, bending in a manner similar to light rays through a prism. Additionally, the redness of the Moon can be explained by a process known as Rayleigh scattering [smaller particles in the atmosphere scatter shorter wavelengths of light, resulting in longer wavelengths, namely red, being more predominant]. Taken with a Nikon D7100 camera, 600 mm f/6.3, ISO 100, 1-second exposure Location: Contrada Sant?Ippolito, Modica, Sicily, Italy, 7 April 2024 — Known as The Trace of Refraction by Marcella Giulia Pace, competition judge Steve Marsh said: ‘We often see pictures of the Moon setting, the distortion of the atmosphere playing with its contours. But this image vividly shows just how much distortion is possible at the very edge of the horizon, stretching and wrinkling the lunar limb as if the ground is a black hole drawing the Moon towards it. A single sliver from it would be beautiful in its own right but when part of a well-crafted sequence it becomes a fascinating montage of a daily occurrence we never get to see in this way’ (Picture: Andre van Geel)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Annie Maunder Open Category Fourth Dimension ? Leonardo Di Maggio (UK) The image uses data of gravitational lensing [magnifies distant galaxies by bending light through massive foreground objects] from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and combines it with a photograph that Leonardo Di Maggio took of the inside of a meteorite. Inside some meteorites, patterns are formed through the extremely slow cooling of metal alloys over millions of years. This particular pattern has an incredible geometric design, looking almost like the edges of boxes or buildings in a city. Some images produced by JWST, if processed a certain way, would have a very similar look due to the star diffraction spikes. This piece can be imagined as an alien ship, city, dimension or anything in between, with the distorted galaxies on the right giving a sense of movement and surreal science-fiction symbolism. Both images have been converted to black and white and merged with the opacity of the meteorite layer set low to allow the JWST data to still bleed through and to produce a surreal hazy look. Original data from, JWST, NIRCam, Near-Infrared, NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI from 12 July 2022 Data credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI — Fourth Dimension by Leonardo Di Maggio was captured using the James Webb Space Telescope. Victoria Lane, competition judge said: ‘This image unites two phenomena that are typically hidden from view: the gravitational lensing captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, which magnifies distant galaxies, and the intricate internal structure of a meteorite. Together, they form a striking composite that bridges the vastness of the cosmos with the minuteness of the microscopic’ (Picture: Leonardo Di Maggio0

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 People and space Winner ISS Lunar Flyby ? Tom Williams (UK) This image shows the International Space Station making a close pass of our Moon. The event was predicted to be a transit but ended up being a close flyby. However, the result is still dramatic, with the station?s solar arrays backlit by the rising Sun. Notably, the white radiators can also be seen and are illuminated by earthshine rather than direct sunlight. Taken with a Sky-Watcher 400P GoTo Dobsonian telescope, Player Astronomy Uranus-C (IMX585) camera, 300 mm f/15.5, 1.5-millisecond exposure Location: Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 27 October 2024 — The photo is known as ISS Lunar Flyby by Tom Williams. Alan Sparrow, competition judge said: ‘It is good to be reminded that people are on board the ISS as it traverses the Moon. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight in 1961. I wonder if, today, we’ve become complacent about our presence in space. This image shows us that we are still space explorers and pioneers at the very beginning of our journey. A picture of great hope’ (Picture: Tom Williams)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer Winner Encounter Across Light Years ? Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan (all China) This photograph captures a serendipitous moment when a brilliant fireball from the Perseid meteor shower appears to graze M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. Originally the photographers had only planned to capture a close-up of the M31 galaxy. Retrieving the camera the next morning, they discovered this wonderful surprise. Taken with a Nikon Z 30 camera, 56 mm f/1.7, ISO 800, multiple 30-second exposures Location: Zhucheng City, Shandong, China, 12 August 2024 — This photo is known as Encounter Across Light Years by Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan. Ed Bloomer, competition judge said: ‘Happenstance created this alluring comparison. Our view of Andromeda is fixed (at least over the course of a human lifetime), whereas rocky material burning up in our atmosphere flares up as a fireball for just a few seconds. Though the distant galaxy is home to phenomenally energetic processes, the transitory streak across the sky seems even more powerful. For just a moment, the annihilation of an object no bigger than a football steals the attention from the home of over a trillion stars’ (Picture: Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Plants comets and Asteroids Winner Comet 12P/Pons?Brooks Taking a Final Bow ? Dan Bartlett (USA) Comet 12P/Pons?Brooks reacted visibly to the intensified solar winds associated with the current solar maximum, creating a spectacle of tail dynamics and colourful hues expelled by its nuclear coma, the bright cloud of gas around the comet?s centre. Taken with a Celestron C14Edge HD SCT telescope with HyperStar V4 lens, 10Micron GM 2000 HPS mount, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera, 712 mm f/2, 25 x 30-second exposures Location: June Lake, California, USA, 31 March 2024 — This photo is known as Comet 12P-Pons-Brooks Taking a Final Bow by Dan Bartlett. Martin Lewis, competition judge said: ‘This fine cometary image is dramatically composed and exceptionally crisp and detailed. Its blue tones contrast beautifully with the brilliant orange star nearby. The billowing tail evokes the sense of the comet roaring across the night sky – reminiscent of the fiery trail of the rocket ship in the 1936 film Flash Gordon’ (Picture: Dan Bartlett)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winner Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha ? Daniele Borsari (Italy) This image was captured with an H-alpha filter to make a monochrome image highlighting the emission nebulae. On the lower left lies the Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33. This dense dark cloud of gases hides the light coming from the emission nebula IC 434 and creates the apparent shape of a horse?s head. A little to the left we find the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The star responsible for the illumination of this nebula, IRS2, is located behind dust and gases and is therefore not visible in the optical spectrum. And finally, in the upper-right of the image, is M42, famously known as the Orion Nebula. This nebula is a huge cloud of dust and gas where a lot of new stars are born. The energy released by the four central stars (the Trapezium Cluster) shapes the nebula, ionising the gas components. Taken with a Player One Astronomy Ares-M Pro camera, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount, Samyang 135 mm f/2.0 lens, 135 mm f/2.8, 45 x 60-second exposures and 262 x 300-second exposures, 22 hours and 35 minutes total exposure Location: Leffe, Bergamo, Italy, 11, 14, 15 January, 6 February 2025 — Greg Brown, competition judge said of Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha by Daniele Borsari: ‘It never ceases to amaze me how the quality of images in the Young category can rival those in the overall competition – and few demonstrate that more clearly than this one. Choosing black and white over bright colours and focusing purely on the shapes and contours of the nebulae is a bold decision that has paid off. The Orion, Horsehead and Flame nebulae have rarely looked so dynamic and it’s easy to imagine these vast gas clouds roiling and billowing through space’ (Picture: Daniele Borsari)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Stars and Nebulae Winner M13: An Ultra-Deep Exposure of the Popular Cluster ? Distant Luminosity Julian Zoller, Jan Beckmann, Lukas Eisert, Wolfgang Hummel (all Germany) M13, or the Great Hercules Cluster, is one of the most prominent and well-studied globular clusters in the northern sky. Discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, it is located in the constellation Hercules and lies about 22,200 light years from Earth. With an apparent magnitude [a measure of brightness] of 5.8, M13 is visible to the naked eye under dark skies and can be easily observed through binoculars or a small telescope. Our goal was to get the deepest possible image of the cluster, in which, to our surprise, even integrated flux nebulae (IFN) clouds appeared. At approximately 145 light years in diameter, M13 is one of the larger globular clusters associated with the Milky Way ? a tightly packed sphere of hundreds of thousands of stars. At its core some stars are as close as 0.05 light years apart, about one-tenth the distance between the Sun and its nearest stellar neighbour. Although M13 is one of the most photographed astronomical objects, there are only a few deep images that show the numerous small background galaxies in the field. Taken with a TS-Optics 200 mm/8 ONTC f/4 Newtonian telescope, iOptron CEM70G mount, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, 800 mm f/4, 300-second exposures, 29.25 hours total exposure Location: Pena Trevinca, Veiga, Gij?n Municipality, Asturias, Spain, 25 September 2024 — Greg Brown, competition judge said of M13 – An Ultra-Deep Exposure of the Popular Cluster by Distant Luminosity group: ‘It’s the incredible balance of detail at different distances that makes this a truly impressive image. Subtle grey clouds of interstellar dust and a field of local stars make up the foreground. In the middle distance is the Great Hercules Cluster itself, beautifully captured right to its luminescent core. But it’s the background that makes this image complete. Dozens of galaxies pepper the scene. More are revealed the longer you look to the point that it begins to do the Hubble Deep Field proud. With razor sharp focus and beautiful bursts of colour, this is a worthy winner of the category’ (Picture: Julian Zoller, Jan Beckmann, Lukas Eisert, Wolfgang Hummel (all Germany)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Aurora Winner Crown of Light ? Kavan Chay (New Zealand) The image was taken during the G5 storm, the most extreme level of geomagnetic storm, in May. The reds were a level of intensity the photographer had never experienced. Taken with a Nikon Z 7 astro-modified camera, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro 2i mount, Nikkor Z 14-24 mm f/2.8S, 16 mm, Sky: f/2.8, ISO 800, 5-second exposure; Foreground: f/5.6, ISO 3,200, 30-second exposure Location: Tumbledown Bay, Little River, Banks Peninsula Community, New Zealand, 10 May 2024 — Crown of Light by Kavan Chay wowed the judges. Yuri Beletsky, competition judge said: ‘This breathtaking panoramic image, taken during an intense G5 storm, captures the vibrant Aurora Australis piercing through clouds above a rugged coastline. Its strength lies in the balance of technical precision and emotional resonance. The rocky coastline anchors the scene, contrasting with the ethereal glow of the aurora. The photographer’s expertise is clear in the seamless stitching of the panorama and refined processing of the sky. Taken after hours of effort, the image conveys both the aurora’s natural beauty and the photographer’s dedication. Congratulations to the photographer on a remarkable achievement’ (Picture: Kavan Chay)

EMBARGOED 11 SEPTEMBER 2025 19:30 BST ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 17 Our Sun Winner Active Region of the Sun's Chromosphere ? James Sinclair (USA) The chromosphere is the most picturesque part of the Sun. Composed of hydrogen and helium plasma, it is manipulated by the intense and tangled magnetic fields of the Sun. The Sun?s chromosphere does not just change day by day, it changes second by second, which is why solar astrophotographers become obsessed with it. Taken with a Lunt 130 mm telescope with double-stacked Etalons, Lunt Block Filter 3400 (34 mm), Sky-Watcher EQ6 R Pro mount, Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max camera, 910 mm f/28, Gain 310, 10-second exposure Location: Cedar City, Utah, USA, 30 September 2024 — Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere by James Sinclair caught the attention of the judges. Martin Lewis, competition judge said: ‘I found this amazingly detailed view of one tiny portion of the Sun’s surface totally mesmerising. Its abstract beauty wonderfully conveys constant movement and it screams pure fusion energy!’ (Picture: James Sinclair)

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