Stars and Nebulae 2024

Category winner

SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (the Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino and Richard Galli

"A new supernova remnant right on our doorstep! One team, 3,559 frames, 260 hours of exposure time, telescopes on three continents and one goal − not only to explore a supernova remnant that has not yet been discovered by science, but also to photograph it in an ambitious joint project," the team explain.

"Our international team of amateur astronomers under the scientific leadership of Professor Robert Fesen (USA) recently made a groundbreaking discovery. In the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia, the team has identified a previously unknown, gigantic supernova remnant (SNR).

"With an extent of three degrees (equivalent to six Full Moons side by side), it may be the largest SNR ever discovered by amateur astronomers. The fact that amateurs have made such a discovery is a testament to how important their role has become in today’s astronomy."

Taken in Oukaïmeden, Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Auberry, California, USA, Avril, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France, Dommartin-lès-Remiremont, Vosges, Grand Est, France, Puzieux, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France and Turckheim, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France, 31 July, 1–4 August, 5–15 and 20 September, 6, 7, 9 and 15 October, 2–5, 7, 8, 10–12 and 16 November 2023

Runner-up

Serpens: a Mosaic by Mukund Raguram

"This three-panel mosaic of the constellation Serpens is my most ambitious endeavour in astrophotography to date," Mukund says.

"Serpens receives less attention than many other, more popular summer constellations, but its unique assortment of dark, reflection and planetary nebulae, and emission objects set against a gorgeous background of golden stars has made Serpens my favourite constellation in the night sky – and resulted in the best work of my astrophotography career. I plan to expand on this mosaic in the years to come, as there are still many beautiful secrets in Serpens to reveal."

Throckmorton, Texas, USA, 11, 17 and 21 April, 12 and 22 May, 8–11, 14–18, 20 and 26–29 June, 12–13 and 18 July 2023

Highly commended

Antares Region by Bence Tóth

"This image shows the dust and gas formations around the star Antares. As this part of the sky is barely visible from Hungary, I travelled to Namibia as part of an astrophotography expedition team to capture this image," Bence explains.

"To achieve this huge field-of-view, I used a telephoto lens instead of a long focal length telescope. Even at 135 mm I needed to create a five-panel mosaic (three panels RGB and two panels of H-alpha) to be able to show this huge region in one picture.

Taken in Isabis Farm, Namibia, 16–20 June 2023

See the full shortlist

1 / 21

M45: the Pleiades and the Merope Nebula

e-EyE (Entre Encinas y Estrellas) Astronomical Complex, Extremadura, Spain, 17 November 2023

2 / 21

Too Big to Hide

Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain, 12 December 2023

3 / 21

Mistral Mayhem: the Hidden Gems Around the Gabriela Mistral Nebula

Tekapo, New Zealand, 29 January 2023

4 / 21

The Lobster Nebula

Isabis Farm, Namibia, 10–12 and 16–17 June 2023

5 / 21

SNR G156.2+5.7, a Faint Supernova Remnant in Auriga

Auberry, California, USA, 28, 29 September and 3–9, 12, 13 and 16–22 October 2023

6 / 21

VdB 14 and 15

Throckmorton, Texas, USA, 7–11 and 15–18 December 2023

7 / 21

Annular Spectra

Romano d’Ezzelino, Vicenza, Italy, 2 October, 12 and 14 December 2023

8 / 21

The Ashen Blaze of Taurus

Sunizona, Arizona, USA, 13–16 and 31 December 2023, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 14 January, 13–15 February 2024

9 / 21

The Scream of a Dying Star

Oukaïmeden, Atlas Mountains, Morocco, 1–3, 5 and 24–26 July 2023

10 / 21

The Hidden Colours of the Boogeyman Nebula

El Sauce Observatory, Rio Hurtado, Chile, 15–18 December 2023

11 / 21

Cosmic Keyhole and Surroundings

El Sauce Observatory, Rio Hurtado, Chile, 17, 19, 21 and 22 November 2023

ShaRa group: Alessandro Ravagnin, Andrea Bertocco, Vikas Chander, Simone Curzi, Massimo Di Fusco, Aygen Erkaslan, Marco Firenzuoli, Antonio Grizzuti, Andrea Iorio, Rolando Ligustri, Fernando Linsalata, Donato Lioce, Antonio Loro, Riccardo Maffioli, Giampaolo Michieletto, Gianluigi Pazienza, Christian Privitera, Cristiano Trabuio and Egidio Vergani

12 / 21

Cloud Symphony

Alsómocsolád, Hegyhát, Baranya, Hungary, 20–24 August 2023

13 / 21

Gum 12: the Gum Nebula (Vela Supernova Remnant)

Deep Sky Chile, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo, Chile, 25 February, 18 and 22 March 2023

14 / 21

SNR G150.3+4.5 (Thor’s Lightning) with a New Discovery (MarSai Object 1)

Montsec, Meuse, Grand Est, France, 27 October, 1 November, 12 and 17 December 2022, 16, 19 and 20 January 2023

15 / 21

A Comet Wanders Between Cygnus and Cepheus

Avril, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France, 9, 10 and 21 August 2023

16 / 21

Phoenix

Isabis Farm, Namibia, 20 and 21 June 2023

17 / 21

Misty Mountains

Szödliget, Pest, Hungary, 10–14 August 2023

18 / 21

The Fighting Dragons of Ara

Heaven’s Mirror Observatory, Yass, New South Wales, Australia, 21–23 April, 11, 15–17 and 20 June, 9 and 11–14 July 2023, 16 February 2024

19 / 21

SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (the Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia)

Oukaïmeden, Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Auberry, California, USA, Avril, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France, Dommartin-lès-Remiremont, Vosges, Grand Est, France, Puzieux, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France and Turckheim, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France, 31 July, 1–4 August, 5–15 and 20 September, 6, 7, 9 and 15 October, 2–5, 7, 8, 10–12 and 16 November 2023

20 / 21

Serpens: a Mosaic

Throckmorton, Texas, USA, 11, 17 and 21 April, 12 and 22 May, 8–11, 14–18, 20 and 26–29 June, 12–13 and 18 July 2023

21 / 21

Antares Region

Isabis Farm, Namibia, 16–20 June 2023