2023-09-19 01:51:32
L’Royal Greenwich Observatory announced the winner of the prize Astronomy Photographer of the Year 15. The winners are Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner et Yann Sainty for their photography Andromeda, Unexpected which captures a surprising discovery: a huge arc of plasma next to the Andromeda galaxy (M31). . Scientists are currently studying this giant object as part of a transnational collaboration. It might be the largest such structure closest to us in the Universe. The image was displayed alongside the winners of the other categories in the accompanying exhibition, which opened at the National Maritime Museum on Saturday September 16, 2023.
The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. It is undoubtedly one of the most photographed deep-sky objects of all time. The discovery of such a large structure in the immediate vicinity of the galaxy was all the more surprising. The arc has an extension of approximately 1.5 x 0.45 degrees, lies only 1.2 degrees from the center of M31, and is located southeast of the main body of the galaxy.
Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty said: “It is a huge honor for our team to receive this important award and we are grateful for all the support, friendship and encouragement we have received throughout our course. This encourages us to pursue our passion for astrophotography and, of course, research with dedication.” Judge and astrophotographer László Francsics said: “This astrophoto is as spectacular as it is precious. Not only does it present Andromeda in a new way, but it also takes the quality of astrophotography to the next level.”
The price of Young Astronomical Photographer of the year was won by two fourteen-year-old Chinese boys. Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang who collaborated to capture the The Running Chicken Nebula, Yuri Beletsky, a judge and professional astronomer, described it as a “strikingly beautiful image”. Xu and Wang said: “Thank you to the Greenwich judges. We are very happy to receive this award as winners of the Youth Competition.”
Other winning images include Circle of Light by Andreas Ettl, which shows the Northern Lights reflecting on the beach in Skagsanden, Norway; The Dark Wolf – Fenrir by James Baguley, which shows a wolf-shaped molecular cloud; A Sun Question by Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau, who captures an enormous filament shaped like a question mark; And Grand Cosmic Fireworks by Angel An, a photograph of the extremely rare phenomenon of atmospheric luminescence. In the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation category, the judges were impressed by Black Echo by John White, who used audio sources from NASA’s Chandra Sonification Project to visually capture the sound of the black hole at the center of the Perseus Galaxy.
Another of the judges’ favorite images was New Class of Galactic Nebulae Around the Star YY Hya by Marcel Dreschsler who won the Stars and Nebulae category. The photograph captures a previously unknown galactic nebula containing a pair of stars surrounded by a common envelope, adding another exciting discovery to the winning images.
Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, said: “Once once more, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make it difficult for the judges, with a flood of High quality images covering an astonishing range of targets. The highlight of this year may be a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we have put in remarkable effort in each category and I am particularly pleased to see the continued strength of our young participants and those eligible to the Sir Patrick Moore Award for Best Newcomer. This made for some intense debate among the judges as we tried to choose the best of the best, but we don’t mind! »
Katherine Gazzard, art curator at the Royal Museums Greenwich, said: “This was my first year as a judge for Astronomy Photographer of the Year. As a newcomer to the competition, the technical sophistication of the entries blew me away. Many beautiful images were shortlisted and the winning images are absolutely stunning. It made me look at the night sky in a new light.
The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, supported by Liberty Specialty Markets and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. For the 2023 competition, there were more than 4,000 applications from 64 countries.
Exposition
Royal Observatory Greenwich : Astronomy Photographer of the Year
National Maritime Museum, Londres
Romney Rd, London SE10 9NF, United Kingdom
From September 16, 2023
1695091083
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