Magical Bailey’s beads during solar eclipse wins 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The Royal Observatory Greenwich has revealed the winners of the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. This year’s top prize went to Ryan Imperio for his captivating image, “Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface,” created by an annular solar eclipse. But as always, there are plenty more photos to admire, so let’s jump right in and check them out.

About the contest

Now in its 16th year, The Astronomy Photographer of the Year saw over 3,500 entries from 58 countries, showcasing the incredible talent and dedication of astrophotographers around the world. Royal Observatory Greenwich runs it, supported by Liberty Specialty Markets and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. The contest is a testament to the power of human imagination and technological advancements.

The overall winner

Ryan Imperio’s awe-inspiring winning image captures the fleeting phenomenon of Bailey’s beads, a glimpse of sunlight peeking through the lunar valleys during a specific phase of an annular eclipse. Capturing this fleeting event requires both precise timing and exceptional skill, making Ryan’s image a truly remarkable achievement.

“Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse,” the photographer explains. “These are a challenge to capture due to their brevity and the precise timing needed.”

The runner-up is Peter Ward from Australia with his image Coronal Chronograph. It shows the solar corona at solar maximum and solar minimum. “The lower half of the picture was taken in 2017 at close to solar minimum,” the photographer explains. “The upper half was taken approaching solar maximum, six years later.”

“Trying to convey the contrasting aspects of the solar corona over the intervening period was a challenge. The photographer tried different colours and combinations before wrapping the normally circular coronal images into a rectangular format to simply visualise the changes over time within a single image.”

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Daniel Borsari

The future of astrophotography is bright, too, and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year proves it. This year’s winner is 14-year-old Daniele Borsari with NGC 1499, A Dusty California. Neal White, judge and artist, commented that “it demonstrated the future of astronomy photography being fearlessly, and openly, taken forward by a new generation.”

The runner-up in this category is 15-year-old Sonny Chart from the UK with the photo titled IC 405 and IC 410: The Flaming Star and Tadpole Nebulae. This image was the photographer’s first-ever mosaic, using around five hours integration time. The Flaming Star Nebula, to the left, is an emissive source that reflects light from dust lanes surrounding the star, AE Aurigae. The Tadpole Nebula on the right has more very dark dust structures.

The winning images, alongside a selection of shortlisted entries, will be on display at the National Maritime Museum starting Friday, September 13, 2024. For more information about the competition, visit the Royal Observatory Greenwich website, and enjoy the category winners and runner-ups below.

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