We haven't seen anything like this before.
The Hubble Telescope snapping colliding galaxies and NASA's Mars rover Perseverance peering into new parts of the planet are just some of the astronomy photography achievements.
Every year, on Earth, we rely on talented photographers to bring us closer to the skies, because we don't all have a high-powered telescope or planetary rover.
The finalist for this year's class have been unveiled. Over 3000 entries were received from 57 countries for the 14th year in a row. The National Maritime Museum in London will host an exhibition of the winners.
Below, you can see them in nine categories, including the sun, moon, and more. We put the photographers' words under the images so you can see what they are saying.
Here are the winners from the previous year.
"Hydra's Pinwheel" Credit: Peter Ward
On February 23, 1752 from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille first saw the Southern Pinwheel. This image, taken exactly 270 years later, combines a deep set of H-alpha exposures along with colour data to highlight the Ruby-like star-forming regions.
"Cosmic Collision" Credit: Mark Hanson, Mike Selby
Two spiral galaxies of the same size are interacting. The interaction is expected to continue for a long time.
"Interacting Galaxies in Eridanus" Credit: Terry Robison
The constellation of Eridanus has two interacting galaxies. They are not part of the Fornax cluster. One of the spiral arms of the larger galaxy has been distorted by the force of gravity. There has been a new generation of massive stars created by these forces.
"Clouds of Hydrogen Gas" Credit: Simon Tang
As the sun's magnetic field lines clash, the clouds of hydrogen gas give way. The appearance of nature on the limb of the sun creates prominences.
Partial Eclipse of the Sun in H-alpha Credit: Alessandro Ravagnin
The Veneto region of Italy was the site of a partial eclipse of the Sun.
"Solar Inferno" Credit: Stuart Green
The sun looks different every time a photographer takes a picture. The H-Alphaline is a narrow red band of light that the photographer narrowed down to reveal an active region of change.
"The Crescent Nebula" Credit: Bray Falls
There is a view of the Crescent Nebula in Cygnus.
"Suburbs of Carina Nebula" Credit: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo
The main object in this image is a nebula that is rarely captured by photographers.
"The Rolling Waves of Vela" Credit: Paul Milvain
The image was taken on the edge of the constellation. The section that is not associated with the supernova remnant is very heavily imaged. H- alpha and SII emissions can be seen in the picture.
"Stacks and Stones" Credit: Derek Horlock
Since prehistoric times, stacking stones has been used as a navigation tool. Stacks are common on the beaches at St Agnes in the Isles ofScilly and provide an anchor for the night's sky in this image.
"The Starry Sky Over the World’s Highest National Highway" Credit: Yang Sutie
The National Highway 219 is the highest national highway in the world and is lit up in the evening. They are separated by a mountain in Tibet.
"Moonrise Over Los Angeles" Credit: Sean Goebel
There was an alignment of the Moon, mountain and skyline of Los Angeles after a winter storm.
"Equinox Moon and Glastonbury Tor" Credit: Hannah Rochford
People are enjoying the Harvest Moon in the United Kingdom in September of 2021.
"Riverside of Funakawa in Spring" Credit: Takanobu Kurosaki
The Funakawa River was renovated in 1957 and around 280 cherry trees were planted. They drew the eyeline towards the horizon, into a hazy blue sky.
"Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard)" Credit: Lionel Majzik
G.J. Leonard discovered the comet in January of 2021. The photographer was able to take a picture of a comet that will leave the solar system in the New Year.
"Saturn and its Moons" Credit: Flávio Fortunato
The composition of the photograph is balanced by the symmetrical distribution of the moons ofSaturn.
"The Jovian Family" Credit: Damian Peach
Three of Jupiter's large moons were captured. There are many spots and storms on Jupiter. There are similar details on all of the Jovian moons. There is a bright ray crater on the upper left.
"Spectrum" Credit: Stefan Liebermann
The famous Vestrahorn mountain is seen over by the Northern lights. There is a panorama of three pictures.
"Electric Wizardry" Credit: Shane Turgeon
The Northern lights can be seen in the water of a lake.
"An Icelandic Saga" Credit: Carl Gallagher
The photographer went on a nine-day, 2500-mile road trip, chasing gaps in the clouds, to capture the Aurora Borealis above the wreck of the Gardur.
"Solar Wind Power" Credit: Esa Pekka Isomursu
The illusion of an interaction between the wind turbine and the sun is created by a vivid corona behind it. The picture was taken during a storm.
"Fly over the South Pole" Credit: Tom Glenn
The images of the moon's south pole were created on different dates. It's one of the most detailed maps of this part of the moon, which is hard to see from Earth.
"Fly over the South Pole" Credit: Andrea Vanoni
The craters and mountains at the lunar south pole can be seen in this image thanks to favorable libration. There are three craters under Bailly. There is a view of the Montes Leibnitz.
"Inverted Minerals" Credit: Noah Kujawski
There are hidden colors in the lunar surface due to different minerals. This colour is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but digital images can show a different view of the moon. Our moon has a unique perspective on those colors.
Do you want to take more astronomy photos? The best space snaps from the year.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
