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Disconnection eventGerald Rhemann
Disconnection Event won the Astronomy Photograph of the Year award

A picture of a comet that will never be seen again has won a prestigious photography prize.

There is a piece of Leonard's tail that is being carried away by the solar wind.

After being discovered, the comet made a brief appearance to Earth.

The Astronomy Photography of the Year competition is run by the Royal Observatory in London.

The prize for Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year was given to two boys in China.

There is an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London.

The winning photographer said that comets look different from hour to hour.

Some of the world's darkest skies can be seen in the picture taken from an observatory in Namibia.

He had no idea that the comet's tail would fall apart.

He said it was the highlight of his photography career.

One of the judges said the image was one of the best comet photographs ever taken.

There is a collision of science and arts. It is technically sophisticated and projects the viewer into deep dark space, but also it is visually arresting and emotional.

More than 3000 entries were looked at by the judges.

Andromeda Galaxy, The NeighbourYang Hanwen, Zhou Zezhen
Andromeda Galaxy - Winner of Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award

One of the closest and largest neighbours of the Milky Way was photographed by two 14-year-old girls.

The image shows the amazing colors of a star system. The photo shows how beautiful our neighbour is.

There is a category for people under the age of 16.

Dr Lyons said she was amazed by the quality of the young photographers.

In the Embrace of a Green Lady - Winner in Aurorae categoryFilip Hrebenda
In the Embrace of a Green Lady - Winner in the Aurorae category

The Northern lights are reflected on a frozen lake above the Eystrahorn mountain.

Mineral Moon MosaicPeter Szabo
Mineral Moon Mosaic - Highly Commended in the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year category

Peter Szabo was highly commended for his photograph of the Moon, which he took in Debrecen, Hungary.

The image shows the Moon's surface in incredible detail, revealing a sight that is familiar to most people, but in an extraordinary way.

The Centre of the Heart NebulaPéter Feltóti
The Centre of the Heart Nebula - Highly Commended in the Stars and Nebulae category

Péter Feltti took this picture. There is a lot of ionised gas and dust in the IC 1805. A strong stellar wind creates a cave-like shape in a gas cloud.

It is difficult to get a clear picture of the dark nebula.

He said that astronomy revealed features of the universe that the human eye could not see.

The Eye of God - Winner in Stars & Nebulae categoryWeitang Liang
The Eye of God - Winner in the Stars & Nebulae category

The picture was taken at theChilescope observatory.

The judge said that it was easy to see how the ancients used to stargaze into the heavens.

Solar Tree - Winner in the Annie Maunder Prize for Digital Innovation categoryPauline Woolley
Solar Tree - Winner in the Annie Maunder Prize for Digital Innovation category

The image by Woolley was the winner of the prize for innovation.

The idea of tree-ring dating is used to show how the sun changes.

The Milky Way bridge- Winner in the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer categoryLun Deng
The Milky Way bridge - Winner in the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer category

Lun Deng used an ordinary camera to take this picture of the highest peak in China.

All images are protected by the Copyright Act.

  • Astronomy
  • Photography
  • Milky Way