Photographer Ani Shastri of the United States received the top honors for Deep Field Squid Nebula (Ou4), a stunning image of a nebula about six times the size of the full moon. The judging panel featured 20 astrophotographers from eight countries: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.
The judges praised the winning images for their artistry and precision. Alyssa Pagan from the Space Telescope Science Institute admired the framing and depth of the overall winning Squid Nebula, likening it to a ‘“Tornado in space.’” Solar specialist Martin Lewis described the sunspot image as, “a lovely composition with a real feeling of pure energy and movement.”
Check out these dazzling images below. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
Winner
Winner: Deep Field Squid Nebula (Ou4) a breathtaking image of a nebula six times the size of the full moon. It was captured over a period of 51 hours at Sierra Remote Observatories in California with a PlaneWave CDK350 and ZWOASI6200MM camera. Image: Ani Shastri
Runner Up
Runner Up. A 360 panorama showing the arch of the Milky Way stretching across the sky above the volcanic landscape of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. This image also won the Astro Landscape Category. Image: Matteo Strassera.
2025 Celestron Prize Winner
2025 Celestron Prize Winner: “Magnetic Shadow,” AR370, one of the most beautiful sunspot groups of this solar cycle, captured with good seeing (0.5″ resolution). This image also took home the top prize in the Solar System category. Image: Alessandro Ravagnin.
Category Winners and Honorable Mentions
Deep Space
Deep Space Winner: The Southern Cross Aflame. A Nine-panel RGB and hydrogen-alpha mosaic of the Constellation Crux, captured over several months with 81.5 hours of integration using a ZWO ASI2600MM Pro and Stellarvue SVX80T-3SV refractor. When looking at this image, Strongman Mike Sidonio said, “Who knew there was so much to look at behind the Southern Cross. I stared at this image for 30 minutes, marvelling at what was revealed.” Image: Paul Milvain. Deep Space Top 5: A wide field image of the Large Magellanic Cloud, our close neighbor galaxy at a distance of 158,200 light years. Image: Rodney Watters.
Solar System
Solar System Runner Up: On April 1, 2024, the sky cleared enough to allow 13 minutes of imaging time on 12P/ Pons-Brooks. The solar activity has taken its toll. Image: Dan Bartlett.Solar System Runner Up: The International Space Station, captured with a telescope, transiting the moon travelling at 26,000 km/h. The crossing happened in 1/2 second. Image: Damir Maksan.
Remote Imaging
Remote Imaging Runner Up: A naturalistic widefield view of Vela, colour-enhanced using narrowband mapping: Hα to red, O III to blue, and S II to yellow. Image: Steeve Body.Remote Imaging Top 5: Rosette blooms like a rainbow flower, Christmas Tree rises in radiant glow; together they weave romance and wonder, cosmic colors flowing through endless night’s embrace. Image: Alpha Zhang.
Astro Landscape
Astro Landscape Runner Up: An abandoned train stop in Namibia’s desert glows softly, embraced by the Milky Way’s arc, captured under one of the clearest skies on Earth. Image: Matteo Strassera.Astro Landscape Top 5: Located in Navajo Nation land of New Mexico, Alien Throne is a hoodoo which was created over millions of years by wind, rain, and water. Image: Jason Perry.
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