Every year, the month of September puts the spotlight on the most beautiful photographsphotographs from the sky, taken during the last twelve months. The British institution of Royal Museums Greenwich hits hard for the sixteenth iteration of its ” Astronomical photos of the year “. These are eleven photographs of galaxies, colorful shots of our Milky Way or even captures of strange phenomena that are in the spotlight. The participants come from all over the world, highlighting the diversity and importance of astronomy across the continents.
1. “The Distorted Shadow of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse” – Ryan Imperio
A unique photo, so much so that it would be difficult to determine the subject of the composition. However, it is designated as the absolute winner of this 2024 edition. On October 14, 2023, in Texas, astrophotographer Ryan Imperio took thirty different shots of the annular eclipse of the Sun in the American sky. The disks of light are in perfect juxtaposition while the shadow of our natural satellite seems to stretch over the solar corona. By analyzing the photo, we note the presence of an optical phenomenon called “Baily’s grains”, described in 1846 by Francis Baiy. We can discern the rays of the Sun filtering through the irregularities of the MoonMoonnamely its reliefs and its craters. An unusual vision of a eclipseeclipse who managed to seduce the competition judges.
2. “Pearls of Tasman” – Tom Rae
The night sky looks like it could be a work of science fiction in this photograph by Tom Rae, taken from New Zealand. A wide-angle shot takes in a vast swath of the sky nocturnalnocturnalwith the Milky Way in the center of the image. constellationsconstellationsof the nebulaenebulae and even galaxies are visible in this impressionist-like vision. Several images were probably stacked, each with a long exposure capturing the photonsphotons of these objects so far away, invisible to theeyeeye human.
3. “Echoes from the Past” – Bence Tóth and Péter Feltóti
In the constellation Centaurus, at 38.6 millionlight yearslight years from Earth, there is a galaxy with a very strange shape. Centaurus A is a lenticular galaxy, popular with astronomersastronomers amateurs because of its brightnessbrightnessmaking it easy to track in the cosmic darkness. The collaboration between Bence Tóth and Péter Feltóti proved particularly productive: the two astronomers obtained an extremely precise rendering of Centaurus A. The galactic centergalactic center forms a sort of “S” shape and draws the eye in, with an almost perfect circular halo fading as it moves away from the core.
4. “The shaded peaks of Sinus Iridum” – Gábor Balázs
The ravaged and austere surface of the Moon continues to attract the lens of amateur and professional astronomers. In this impressive photo, the plain Sinus Iridumor Rainbow Bay, is outlined in detail. If the photo is astonishing, it is because it seems to have been taken from a shuttle flying over the Moon. For one of the jurors of the Royal MuseumsYuri Beletsky, this observation of Sinus Iridum is an illustration of the advanced technological capabilities of current astronomy.
5. “Queenstown Dawn” – Larryn Rae
THE northern lightsnorthern lights often offer pictorial scenes. Around Queenstown, in the south of New Zealand, Larryn Rae took out his camera and lenses to follow the dance of the red aurora borealis, taking advantage of strong solar activity. The charged particles rubbing against the upper layers of theatmosphereatmosphere change of colorcolormoving away from the more “traditional” green. The phenomenon springs from the mountains, which stand out in the center of the image, with a rendering tending towards pink.
6. “Coming In” – Tom Williams
Three fractions of spheres floating in an inky black ocean. The second planet of the Solar systemSolar system, VenusVenusis revealed discreetly. At the sight of these white and orange colors, no one would suspect the apocalyptic conditions making Venus a sterile or even nightmarish planet. Here, it appears peaceful and calm. Although these colors were added artificially during the processing of the image, they sublimate the sober representation of a planet similar, and yet so different from ours.
7. “High-tech Silhouette” – Tom Williams
Once again, Tom Williams is rewarded for his work as an astrophotographer. The composition is this time Dantesque. The Sun and the violent fluctuations of its surface occupy a large part of the image. Almost centered, a anomalyanomaly catches the viewer’s eye. The Space Station makes a passage in front of thestarstar. This is how an opposition is formed between the brute forcebrute force of nature andUniverseUniverseand the technological mastery of the human being which nevertheless appears minuscule in front of thestarstar massive.
8. “SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery” – Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, Richard Galli
Once again, this is a collaboration that allows us to observe the details of a deep-sky object. Thanks to color processing, particularly shades of blue and red, the Nereid Nebula appears to be made up of delicate swirls. Located in the constellation of Cassiopeia, these supernova remnants remain relatively unknown. The high-quality capture of SNR G107.5-5.2 could allow us to study it in more detail.
9. “SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula” – Xin Feng, Miao Gong
In the confines of the cosmoscosmoshides a curious nebula with a dolphin’s head. Almost spherical but with roughness giving it the appearance of a marine animal, this bubble ofhydrogenhydrogen was expelled from a Wolf-Rayet star. These are stars of several massesmasses solar, projecting mattermatter has speedspeed very high. The region is also swept by windswinds stellar waves of about 1,500 kilometers per second. The nebula is perfectly detailed, earning the authors of the photo an award to recognize a successful first participation.
10. “Anatomy of a Habitable Planet” – Sergio Díaz Ruiz
Subverting an image of the Earth to highlight its changes. This is the successful bet of Sergio Díaz Ruiz. This astrophotographer and engineer uses scientific data on the damage inflicted on the planet by Man and thus changes the coloring of the Earth. A mixture of blue, green and orange-red makes the viewer think that he is in front of the representation of a exoplanetexoplanet uninhabitable. A visual reflection of the changes brought about by human activity during the Holocene.
11. “NGC 1499, a dusty California” – Daniele Borsari
It was a young astronomer, Daniele Borsari, who recently turned his instruments towards the California nebula, located in the constellation of Perseus. The judges congratulated the choices made regarding the composition of the photograph.
NGCNGC 1499, whose shape is mistaken for that of the eponymous American state, appears to be a peaceful cloudcloud with a red tint. In this last image, the details are again striking, suggesting ever more phenomenal photographs in the years to come.
