Royal Observatory Greenwich / ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The Royal Observatory Greenwich, partnering for the first time with ZWO, announces the winners of the 17th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. A Chinese team, consisting of Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, and Chuhong Yu, took the top prize for their deep, high-resolution image of  the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), titled “The Andromeda Core.”

“The Andromeda Galaxy has been photographed in so many different ways and so many times with telescopes that it is hard to imagine a new photo would ever add to what we’ve already seen,” said László Francsics, judge and astrophotographer. “But this does just that, an unusual dynamic composition with unprecedented detail that doesn’t obscure the overall scene.”

The team’s deep exposures with a 20-inch PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham astrograph reveal hundreds of H II regions in the spiral arms of the galaxy leading towards the center of its nuclear bulge. They took advantage of the excellent seeing conditions at Nerpio, Spain, to focus on the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region and its surrounding stellar population.

Every year, thousands of astrophotographers from around the globe compete in several categories based on astronomical subject matter, including Stars and Nebulae, Aurorae, People and Space, and several others. This year the contest drew thousands of entries from more than 70 countries.

Among the standouts in other categories is the winner of the Skyscapes category by Tom Rae titled “The Ridge.” He used two mirrorless Nikon cameras to photograph the 62 individual panels making up this expansive panorama from Mount Cook National Park, Mackenzie District, New Zealand.

Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, competition judge and astrophotographer, observes, “There is so much to love in this image. The vibrant colors of the landscape, the night sky, and the individual stars are all remarkable. The photographer has captured impressive depth in the Milky Way, including the added hydrogen regions, without overdoing it. I appreciate how the airglow appears to cradle the sky, and the landscape contributes to a very balanced composition. Truly eye-catching and dreamy.”

Visit the observatory's website to view the winning photos as well as runners up, which will also be on display in a free exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London from September 12th through August 2026. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest is sponsored by ZWO in association with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine.