Digital SLR Photography

This year’s winner was chosen asYu Junfrom Chinafor his abstract imageof Baily’sBeads (right). The phenomenon occursduring a solar eclipse due to therough terrainof the lunar surface, allowing slithersofsunlight toreach Earth. Jun captured thisacross several exposures before compilingthe results in a single image. Competitionjudge Dr MarekKukula commentedof thewinning image:“This is such a visually strikingimage, with its successionof fiery arcs allperfectly balanced around the pitch blackcircleof totality. It’s even more impressivewhen yourealise what it shows: the progressof a solar eclipse, all compressed into a singleframe with consummate skill and precision.A tremendous achievement that pushes theboundariesof what modernastrophotography can achieve.”Other winners included György Soponyaifrom Hungaryfor his imageof the auroraborealis dancing above the AdventtoppenMountain in Norway, Jordi Delpeix BorrellofSpainfor his incredibly detailed shotof thelunar surface and Nicolas Outters fromFrancefor his image M94: Deep Space Halo,showing spiral galaxy Messier 94, which isapproximately 16 million light years fromEarth. There was also great success when itcame to UK talent too, withfour winners andthree Highly Commended placings.BBCSky at NightEditor Chris Bramley saidof the contest:“There were so many fantasticimages. The winning entries, and indeed thewhole field, show that the entrants' technicalabilities and creative eye have never beensharper. They capture the quiet, majesticbeautyof the night sky above a world that’sincreasingly frenetic and light-polluted.”The winning images netted a hostof prizes,including a whopping £10,000 cashfor theoverall winner! Allof the images are now on``````displayat the Royal Observatory Greenwich ina free exhibition open to public until 28 June2017. There’s also theInsight AstronomyPhotographerof the Yearbook, whichshowcases the winning and shortlistedimages –available from bookstoresfor £25. Fancy your chancesat being a shootingstar next year? Entries open early in 2017, sokeep an eye on the websitefor more details:http://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/astronomy-photographer-competition3)OURSUNRUNNER-UP:SunFlowerCoronabyCatalinBeldeaandAlsonWong:A compositeof 12 images takenduring atotal solar eclipse from Tidore Island in EasternIndonesia.Resemblingtentacles, the blistering solarcoronalstructuresreach out from the Sun’s surface with anaveragetemperatureof between one and three millionKelvin.``````5)BESTNEWCOMER:LargeMagellanicCloudbyCarlosFairbairn:The MilkyWay’s satellite galaxy, the Large MagellanicCloud, showcasing starsof all ages within its14,000 lightyeardiameter. The Large Magellanic Cloudcan sometimeseven beseen with the nakedeye from the southern hemisphere, butresembles afaint cloudrather than a huge galaxy.6)PLANETS,COMETS&ASTEROIDSWINNER:SereneSaturnbyDamianPeach:The second largest planet in our solarsystem, the gas giant Saturn. The photograph depicts thefamed rings in detail with strikingcontrast between eachofthem.Storms are visible across the planet, aswell as theastronomicalmystery that is the hexagon at the north pole.``````1)PEOPLE&SPACEHIGHLYCOMMENDED:AWiseSonMakesaGladFatherbyRobinStuart:Thetouching sceneof aMaasaiwarrior bestowing his knowledgeof the stars on his sonas they gaze up at the MilkyWay. The Maasai tribe use the starsto navigate across the eastAfrican plains in orderto find newgrazing groundsfor their livestock.``````4)AURORAERUNNER-UP:BlackandWhiteAurorabyKolbeinSvensson: An unusual view of the aurora, simply inblack & white, that turns the expectationsof auroraphotography on its head. Theremoval of the vividcoloursassociated with theNorthern Lights emphasises the fluidityofthe aurora and the starkcontrast itforms against the night sky.``````2)OVERALLWINNER:Baily’sBeadsbyYu Jun:The Baily’sBeads effect during thetotal solar eclipseof 9 March 2016captured fromLuwuk, Indonesia. As the Moon passes in frontof our star, the Sun, the rugged surfaceof our natural satelliteallows beadsof sunlightto escape in some places and not inothers, whichlooks incredible in this image.18 Digital slr PhotographyNove mber1``````2``````© YU JUN``````© ROBIN STUART