Austrian astrophotographer Gerald Lehmann captured the dying comet and was crowned the overall winner of the Royal Observatory Greenwich Astrophotographer of the Year competition.Figure: Retrieved from the official website
The results of the Royal Greenwich Observatory’s Astrophotographer of the Year competition were announced, with Austrian astrophotographer Gerald Rhemann standing out as the overall winner. He was favored by the judges when he photographed a “dying comet” falling in December last year.
Gerald Lehman’s award-winning work features Comet Leonard, a returning long-period comet captured by University of Arizona researcher GJ Leonard on January 3, 2021. Leonard) discovered through the Mount Lemmon Observatory. Due to the high brightness of the comet, many astrophotographers have captured it.
In the picture, Comet Leonard (Leonard) appears to fall, and the tail of the comet is separated after being hit by high-speed solar particles, and a long tail trails behind, showing a blue light. Astrophotography judge Imad Ahmed said, “The photo is a perfect blend of astronomy, mythology and art. It is of great value to scientists because it elegantly captures a falling comet. .”
Lehman also commented: “This award is one of the highlights of my astrophotography career, and all the hard work that went into taking this photo was worth it.”
A comet is a special stellar body in the solar system. It generally has a nucleus, a coma, and a comet tail. The comet nucleus is composed of loose ice, dust, and small rocks, and the comet tail can be extended up to an astronomical unit. When comets approach the sun, they heat up and begin to outgas, and as they travel through the solar system, they produce dust and gas that can be observed.