Official media partner of the International Year of Astronomy.
From the crescent Moon to distant spiral galaxies, the night sky’s many wonders make for spectacular photos. Now, the art of astrophotography is being celebrated as never before with the launch of the inaugural Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
The competition will recognise the talents of the world’s best astronomy photographers, with an array of prizes up for grabs and the winning entries going on display at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in September 2009. The Observatory has teamed up with photo-sharing website Flickr to create an Astronomy Photographer of the Year group, so even if you’re not among the winners, your photos will still be seen around the world. You’ll also be able to browse the work of other entrants in the competition’s three main categories.
The first category, ‘Earth and Space’, is for images that include a landscape, so you won’t even need a telescope to enter – just a camera will do. ‘Our Solar System’ covers the Sun, Moon and planets, while ‘Deep Space’ is for images of far-off galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. If you’re under 16 years old, you’ll be able to enter your images in the special ‘Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ category.
The winning entries will be picked by a stellar line-up of expert judges. They include Sir Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott and Pete Lawrence from The Sky at Night TV programme, ROG’s Marek Kukula, photographer Dan Holdsworth and BBC Sky at Night magazine’s editor Graham Southorn and staff writer Will Gater.
BBC Sky at Night magazine is the competition’s official media partner, so we’ll be keeping you up-to-date with the latest news on the competition throughout its duration. Meanwhile, be sure to visit www.nmm.ac.uk/astrophoto and start shooting for the stars.
THE CATEGORIES
Earth and Space
This category is for photos that include a landscape, people or other Earth-bound objects, as well as the sky above. Such pictures could capture spectacular sights like the aurora (pictured, right) or buildings beneath a starry sky.
Deep space
To enter photos in this category, you’ll need to capture objects outside our own Solar System, such as galaxies, star clusters and colourful clouds of gas and dust called nebulae (pictured). For this you’ll need
a telescope.
Our solar system
Any shots of the Sun’s family are eligible for this category. That includes planets and their moons, asteroids, comets and the Sun itself. Remember to take safety precautions before attempting to photograph the Sun.
Young Astronomer Photographer of the Year
If you’re under 16 years old, there’s a category just for you. To enter, you simply need to take a photo of something to do with the night sky. Look up after dark to get some ideas before you start
NEED TO KNOW
Essential facts about Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009
Competition organiser: Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Official media partner: BBC Sky at Night magazine
Categories: Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space, Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Cost of entry: Free!
Closing date: 19 July 2009
Exhibition opens: 10 September 2009 at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich (until 10 January 2010)
