BBC Sky at Night Magazine is proud to reveal the 2023 winners of the world’s biggest astrophotography competition
Once again, astronomy photographers from around the world have battled it out to claim the prestigious title of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023. This year, entrants from 64 countries submitted over 4,000 incredible images. From these, the judges have selected the best in each of eight categories, as well as two special prizes for best newcomer and for processing data taken by professional observatories, as well as a special prize for entrants younger than 16 years old. You can see the spectacular winning photos for yourself at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London from 16 September. For details, visit www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto.
FREE 2024 CALENDAR
Don’t miss the December issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine for our free 2024 calendar featuring all the incredible top images from this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, as well as all the unmissable astronomical events to see in the night sky in the year ahead. It goes on sale from 16 November 2023.
OVERALL WINNER / Galaxies ▶ Andromeda, Unexpected Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty
Location: Near Nancy, France
Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, 382mm f/3.6, 111 hours When an international team of astronomers joined forces to take this image, none of them were expecting to make a scientific discovery. And yet, their final image revealed a great arc of plasma next to the Andromeda Galaxy, which could be the largest such structure in the nearby Universe. Judge’s verdict: “What does a discovery image look like? It is mostly a blurry black and white image that depicts an almost invisible faint dot or a spectrum that is incomprehensible to us. However, that was not the case this time. This astrophoto is as spectacular as it is valuable. It not only presents Andromeda in a new way, but also raises the quality of astrophotography to a new level.”
– László Francsics
Our Sun A Sun Question Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau
Location: Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
Equipment: Sky-Watcher Evostar 150ED DX refractor, Daystar Quark Chromosphere filter, Baader ERF frontal filter, iOptron CEM70G mount, Player One Apollo-M Max camera, 840mm focal length, 120mm aperture, 2 panels of 115x 3.47 milliseconds Judge’s verdict: “This is such a clever image as,
