The Manju Mehrotra Family Trust Prize for Best Newcomer is awarded to fledgling astrophotographers with less than two years’ experience in the field and who have not entered the competition before.
Take a look at the astonishing images they have produced despite their brief time behind the camera, that would be suitably envied by the most experienced of astrophotographers.
The winning image
Falcon 9 soars past the Moon by Paul Eckhardt
Taken in Titusville, Florida, USA
"Could I shoot a rocket over the Moon?" wondered Paul Eckhardt, the winner of the Best Newcomer prize in 2021.
"Four hours before the launch, I downloaded the PhotoPills app, subscribed to flightclub.io and started a mad dash to understand both applications and pinpoint a location where the flight arc would overlap the Moon.
"Time slipped by as I lost myself in satellite maps and new app interfaces. Arriving with five minutes to spare, I was blocked by a gate and ended up on a different dark road with trees blocking the launch pad. I made a quick calculation, parked and ran a hundred feet in the dark. The sky lit up as Falcon 9 soared straight up, tilted over, and aimed right at the Moon.
"I've never been more excited about trying to capture an image before."
Equipment used: Sony ILCE-6500 camera, 210 mm f/8 lens, ISO 400, 1/350-second exposure
The right target, the right moment, the right composition. These three aspects make this image a special one among many astrophotos and many spacecraft transit lunar images. This image couldn’t be planned – it is a result of good situational awareness of a talented photographer
László Francsics
See the full shortlist
Explore all the photographs in the Manju Mehrotra Family Trust Prize for Best Newcomer category
1 / 10
Dolphin Head Nebula
By Yovin Yahathugoda
Equipment used: ASA 500N telescope at f/3.8, Astrodon filters, ASA DDM85 Premium mount, FLI PL16803 camera, Ha-OIII composite, 1.5 hours total exposure
2 / 10
Journey of AR12804-12805
By Soumyadeep Mukherjee
Equipment used: Nikon D5600 camera, Sigma 150–600C lens at f/6.3, Thousand Oaks solar filter, ISO 100, 7 x 1/200-second exposures
3 / 10
The Whole Process of an Annual Eclipse
By 俊艺 陈
Equipment used: Canon EOS 77D camera, 250 mm f/13 lens, ISO 100, 9 x 1/200-second exposures
4 / 10
Centaurus A Galaxy
By Yovin Yahathugoda
Equipment used: Planewave CDK24 telescope at f/6.5, Astrodon filters, Mathis MI-1000/1250 mount, FLI ProLine PL9000 camera, 1.5 hours total exposure
5 / 10
Crab Nebula
By Yovin Yahathugoda
Equipment used: Planewave CDK24 telescope at f/6.5, Astrodon filters, Mathis MI-1000/1250 mount, FLI ProLine PL9000 camera, Ha-SII-OIII composite, 2.5 hours total exposure
6 / 10
Our Galactic Neighborhood
By Benjamin-Csizi
Equipment used: SkyWatcher Esprit 100ED Triplet APO telescope at f/5.5, Baader filters, iOptron CEM60 mount, ZWO ASI1600MM Pro camera, L-RGB-Ha composite, 16.1 hours total exposure
7 / 10
Shades of Sirius
By Soumyadeep Mukherjee
Equipment used: Nikon D5600 camera, Sigma 150–600C lens at f/6.3, ISO 1600, 196 x 1/30-second exposures
8 / 10
The Milky Way on the Ancient Village
By Zhang-Xiao
Equipment used: Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera, 35 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 2500, 20 x 13-second exposures
9 / 10
Comet Neowise and Thunderstorm
By Yulya Bakirova
Equipment used: Canon EOS 6D camera, 40 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 5000, 95 x 950-second exposures
10 / 10
Falcon 9 soars past the Moon
By Paul Eckhardt
Equipment used: Sony ILCE-6500 camera, 210 mm f/8 lens, ISO 400, 1/350-second exposure
