People and Space 2024

Image showing a section of the Sun, with a curved edge, whose surface is made up of swirling orange patches. Silhouetted in almost the middle of the image is the H shape of the International Space Station and its solar panels

The winning image

High-tech Silhouette by Tom Williams

"This H-alpha image of the Sun features the silhouette of the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the eastern solar limb. Crossing the field-of-view in just 0.2 seconds, these ISS transits of the Sun are particularly rare for any one location on Earth," explains Tom.

"Luckily, weather conditions were great, and the Sun was very lively at the time, with active region 3336 boasting a gorgeous prominence right next to the station’s transit location. After many days of planning, it was a treat to have it all come to fruition."

Taken in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK, 15 June 2023

Image showing a cityscape with very bright skyscrapers lit up with bright golden and yellow lights at night, the sky behind is also bright from the glow, but there are two clear lines running parallel to one another moving diagonally from the top of the image to behind the buildings

Runner-up

Parallel Lines Over the City by Ran Shen

Ran says, "The trajectories of Venus and Jupiter are like two parallel lines. On this day, Venus and Jupiter were particularly close to Earth. I used Planit for pre-planning and then employed a stack technique to frame their trajectories with the skyscrapers in Lujiazui, Shanghai."

Taken in Shanghai, China, 2 March 2023

Image showing an old wooden mill style building with Montana elevator written on the side. In the sky behind is a very dense long exposure of satellite trails, which criscross and zigzag across the sky to form hundreds of interacting straight lines.

Highly commended

Big Brother is Watching You by Matt Jackson

"The digital age has brought wonders beyond comprehension, but also new concerns related to privacy and the power that comes from controlling technology," says Matt.

"At times, it can feel like we are never alone, like there is no such thing as solitude, or 'own life' in George Orwell’s newspeak. It feels like Big Brother is always watching you. This image includes all the satellites captured during one hour of a time-lapse series."

Taken in Gallatin County, Montana, USA, 10 August 2023