Stunning astronomical phenomena: 9 best pictures of the contest "Astronomical photographer of the year"

Regardless of whether you dream of waiting for the day when you can visit anything in space, or just admire how many secrets the starry sky holds, prepare to take a look at some of the works that took part in the contest "Astronomical Photographer of the Year" . The photos that took part in this contest are already beginning to prove that they are no worse than those that could be seen last year. The competition started on February 27, and each person can submit his application before the end of the day on April 7. You can declare up to ten photos in nine different categories: "Shining", "Landscapes of the starry sky", "People and space", "Our Sun", "Our Moon", "Planets, comets and asteroids", "Stars and nebulae" , "Galaxies", as well as in the category for young photographers. The winner will win the grand prize of ten thousand pounds, and there are also two special prizes. Photographs of the winners will be exhibited at the Royal Greenwich Observatory starting September 16, 2017, and each winner will receive 1500 pounds. Here are some of the most outstanding shots that were announced for the competition this year. Each of these photographs is provided with the original signature of the author.

If you saw and were able to capture any astronomical phenomenon, then you can try your hand and take part in the competition. If you are just happy with a variety of photos on the topic of space, then you should familiarize yourself with these pictures, as they really amaze and impress. Starting with the shining clouds due to the sun and ending with full galaxies, you will find here a variety of pictures, and each of them can impress you to the core. Still, the theme of space is of interest to so many people who want to look deeper into the secrets of the universe.

Galaxy Andromeda M31, galaxy M32 and M110 (Spain)

"The iconic Andromeda galaxy M31, as well as the neighboring galaxies M32 and M110, are depicted in this photo in the smallest detail, with an emphasis being placed on the zones of active star formation of the M31 galaxy along the length of its entire spiral structure. To achieve such a high level of accuracy, the radiation of Hydrogen-Alpha was used. This is an HDR image, so you can see all the spiral structures, as well as the galactic core itself. This is a four-panel mosaic, which consists of 76 hours of total exposure time. The first and tenth minutes of the exposure were captured to create an HDR image using a 3-nanometer narrow-band Hydrogen-Alpha filter with a 15-minute exposure to demonstrate areas of active star formation. "

Southern Lights (Australia)

The photo depicts the exciting southern aurora as it is seen from the southern coast of Australia. Multicolored rays, which include a rare blue color, dance on the horizon and are reflected in the calm waters of the Bass Strait. This radiance was formed when the solar wind from the coronal pit collided with the Earth at a tremendous rate on March 1, 2017. This is a single 25-second exposure, edited in Adobe Lightroom. "

Field of Dreams (USA)

"My eight-year-old son is looking at the summer star Milky Way, filling the whole sky, from his small baseball field in Harvich, Massachusetts, USA. Maybe he thinks about becoming a professional baseball player? Or an astronaut? One of the most important duties of the parent is to help the child realize his dreams. This is his Field of Dreams. "

M33 - Triangular galaxy (USA)

"M33 is a spiral galaxy located about three million light-years from Earth in the constellation of the Triangle, so it got its name. It is also known as the Helicopter galaxy. This is the third largest member of the local group after the Milky Way and Andromeda. "

Glow on the lighthouse in Northumberland (UK)

"This photo was taken at the Bamberg lighthouse, I waited seven hours in the cold on the Northumberland coast, and the radiance was incredibly beautiful, albeit short-lived. The fact that the lighthouse looks as if it is shocked by what is happening made this photo special for me, and also proved that I did not wait in vain. "

Shining on Kirkkyufetla (Iceland)

"In 2013 we got engaged in Iceland, and then we got married there in 2016. A few days before the event, we witnessed the most beautiful radiance in life. My goal was to photograph the radiance from 2014, when I bought my first digital SLR camera. "

Gray heron under silvery clouds (Denmark)

"When I shot the noctilucent clouds on June 12, 2016 on the calm shore of the Bay of Seyerobugt in north-west Seylland in Denmark, a gray heron joined me, hunting fish and crustaceans in the shallows near the beach. The sun remained in the marine twilight zone for several hours, so that directly over the bay, silvery clouds arose, which were beautifully reflected in the Baltic waters, which allowed me to notice the heron there. It was not easy to photograph the bird, as it constantly moved, but I was lucky, as herons usually freeze for a couple of seconds, and I waited for my chance. "

Super Moon over the Acropolis (Greece)

"The largest and brightest superluny of the century happened on November 14, 2016 over the Parthenon in the Athenian Acropolis, Greece. This is a complex image created from two different exposures of the same scene. One exposition concentrates on the moon, while the other is on the Parthenon. Combining the two images, I slightly shifted the focus of the exposure to the moon, in order to achieve a more realistic result. "

Ancient star dust (France)

"In the early summer in Corsica you can see an incredible sight. The Milky Way becomes fully visible in the sky above the Mediterranean Sea. In this picture, the galaxy stretched over the night sky over the Genoese tower of Lozari, a coast guard building built by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to beat off attacks by barbarian pirates. This night was like in a movie: we wanted to leave the house at one in the morning, but three horses blocked the exit, and we had to wait until the neighbor caught them so that we could leave. As a result, we were alone on the street, and when the wild rabbit ran out onto the road for us, we had to stop, and we did not regret it. "