『摄影奖项』2010年度天文摄影师奖

smellfish

• Earth and Space – winnerBlazing Bristlecone by Tom Lowe (USA)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘If I could change anything about this photo, it would be the artificial lighting! The light on that tree occurred accidentally because I had my headlamp and possibly a camping lantern on while I was taking a series of test shots! The artificial light is too frontal and not evenly distributed, but in the end the light did in fact show the amazing patterns in the tree’s wood. The reason these trees inspire me so much, aside from their striking beauty, is their age. Many of them were standing while Genghis Khan marauded across the plains of Asia. Being a timelapse photographer, it's natural for me to attempt to picture our world from the point of view of these ancient trees. Seasons and weather would barely register as events over a lifetime of several thousand years. The lives of humans and other animals would appear simply as momentary flashes.’
  What it shows: The gnarled branches of an ancient tree align with a view of our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is a flat, disc-like structure of stars, gas and dust measuring more than 100,000 light years across. Our Sun lies within the disc, about two-thirds of the way out from the centre, so we see the Milky Way as a bright band encircling the sky. This view is looking towards the centre of our galaxy, 26,000 light years away, where dark clouds of dust blot out the light of more distant stars. What appears to be an artificial satellite orbiting the Earth makes a faint streak of light across the centre of the image.
  Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera with a Canon EF 16-35mm lens set at 16mm
  What the judges say: Sir Patrick Moore says: ‘I like the way the tree follows the Milky Way and the definition is very good.’
  What Flickr members say: Chaos2K says: ‘even your “accidents” are awesome – great shot Tom.’
  
  

smellfish

• Earth and Space – runner-upWhisper of the Wind by Dave Brosha (Canada)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I photographed this on a bitterly cold night along the shores of Vee Lake, just outside Yellowknife, Northwest Territories …I wanted a composition that tied the land below into the grander display above, and when I saw the shape of this aurora on my viewfinder, which looked so gentle – like a soft wind was blowing it – I knew I had something special.’
  What it shows: The aurorae, or Northern and Southern Lights, are caused by the interaction between the Earth’s atmosphere and a stream of particles from the Sun known as the solar wind. The Earth’s magnetic field funnels these particles down over the planet’s poles giving rise to glowing curtains of coloured light. These are best seen in the night sky near to the North and South Poles.
  Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera with a Sigma 15mm fisheye lens on a static tripod.
  
• Earth and Space – highly-commendedSurrounded by Space by Fredrik Broms (Sweden)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘Ever since my grandfather took me out as a child and showed me the wonders of the night sky, I have been deeply interested and fascinated by astronomy. Even though I unfortunately lost my guide and greatest source for inspiration too early, my fascination continued to grow deeper. In this picture, from the forest floor, I wanted to capture some of the magic feeling of being completely surrounded both by our own Earth and the vast space beyond.’
  What it shows: The Northern Lights flicker above the bare branches of this winter forest in Kvaløya, Norway. Framed by the treetops, bright stars form the familiar 'W'-shape of the constellation Cassiopeia.
  Equipment: Nikon D3 DSLR camera with a AF Nikkor 20mm lens
  
• Earth and Space – highly-commendedPrimal Wonder by Larry Andreasen (USA)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘The beauty of the Milky Way as backdrop to a forest fire on Yakima Nation Lands, on Mount Adams in Washington State, makes me think of a people long ago huddled around a campfire pondering the mysteries of the timeless skies in wonder.’
  What it shows: What appears to be smoke rising from this controlled fire in a North American forest is in fact our galaxy, the Milky Way, a vast disc of stars, gas and dust. Looking out from this disc, we see a few thousand stars which are relatively close. Looking along the disc, at the ‘smoke’ in this photograph, we see hundreds of billions of stars and clouds of dust and gas which are spread throughout the Galaxy.
  Equipment: Nikon D3 DSLR camera with a 20-35mm lens set to 20mm
  
• Earth and Space – highly-commendedSolstice Full Moon over Sounion by Anthony Ayiomamitis (Greece)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘From a very young age I was always fascinated by the aura of Ancient Greece and the rising full Moon at Sounion was a unique way to freeze a very special and breathtaking moment involving our 4.5-billion-year-old celestial neighbour and the 2500-year-old temple. A lot of work went into preparing for this single-exposure photo since there is absolutely no room for error.’
  What it shows: At the Summer Solstice, the full moon rises behind the columns of the ruined temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, south of Athens. The Moon often appears orange or yellow when close to the horizon, as its light is filtered through the thick layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. At these low angles, the Moon can look much larger than usual because our eyes compare it with familiar objects on the skyline.
  Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106 106mm refractor telescope with an Astro-Physics 2x convertible Barlow lens and a Canon EOS 5D Mark I DSLR camera
  
  

smellfish

               

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  Photographers gone wild.
  
  
  
  
  

       

                       
                                                        Photon Worshippers  **Winner Astronomy Photographer of the Year, 2010 - People and Space **                A few weeks out of the year the setting sun is in the correct position to shine directly through this portal in a large rock formation at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California.  It has become very popular with photographers - but not many are brave enough (foolish enough?) to climb the tall cliffs behind the formation to see this marvelous sight.  The opportunity occurs when the sun approaches it's southern most point for the year and the weather also cooperates.
In the large image a serendipitous lens flare lies right over the opening of the Pfeiffer Portal. It was NOT surprising to find 25 photographers here (18 visible in this picture)... it's a popular place. So I went for a different shot.  I considered NOT exhibiting this image since I'm sure someone will copy it. There are safe ways to get to this location - but starting from the beach is NOT one of them. Please don't try that!
Also serendipitously, the red in the cliffs in front of me really lit up in the setting sun. I didn't crank up the saturation - it just worked out this way.
Looks much better larger. You might also want a closer look at the Solar Keyhole or a close up shot of the enormous rock. Heck, you might also be interested in seeing one of the three star trails: west view, low west view, or view to the south  from this location on the same night. Or maybe just a single night shot or a shot with this rock and the moon.
By the way, I completely forgot to photograph the purple sand that can be found here. Yep, purple!  You can see it in the bottom foreground behind all of the onlookers.
07/20/2010: This image was short listed by the Royal Observatory for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Crossing my fingers, hoping to win!
09/02/2010: This image was featured in the UK Times article about the Astronomy Photographer of the Year.

09/09/2010: This image won in the category "People and Space" in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year, 2010 competition. A team from Buzz Films, Ltd. put together an interview with me that you might find interesting.

smellfish

• Our Solar System – winnerSiberian Totality by Anthony Ayiomamitis (Greece)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘On eclipse day, the clouds were present everywhere and only one hour before first contact (partial phase) did the skies clear...and they cleared beautifully and with pristine transparency. There was a slight wind, especially at the top of the roof of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, but it was a very small price to pay.’
  What it shows: During a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun. For a few minutes, with the dazzling light of the solar disc blocked from view, we gain a rare glimpse of the corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere.  Powerful magnetic fields warp and shape the super-heated gas of the corona into glowing loops and streamers.
  Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106 106mm refractor telescope on a Celestron CG3 German equatorial mount with a Canon EOS 350D XT DSLR camera
  What the judges say: Pete Lawrence says: ‘The processing used maintains an exquisite level of detail right across the corona and delivers a view similar to what would be seen with the human eye. This is something that’s not easy to do with a camera and the end result completely justifies all the hard work that’s gone into producing this beautiful image.’
  What Flickr members say: n.pantazis says: ‘That’s a masterpiece by any aspect! Congratulations, Anthony!’
• Our Solar System – runner-upJupiter by Nick Smith (UK)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘My first telescope was a 50mm Tasco refractor that I had aged ten! It was only about five years ago that I realised it was possible for amateurs to take really high resolution images of the Moon and planets using low-cost consumer webcams.’
  What it shows: Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. A giant ball of gas with no solid surface, its atmosphere is streaked with colourful bands of cloud.  This image was taken just after a large asteroid plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere, exploding beneath the clouds. A dark patch near the top of the planet’s disc marks the impact.
  Equipment: Celestron C14 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a Tele Vue 1.8x Barlow lens and a Lumenera SKYnyx 2-0M CCD camera
• Our Solar System – highly-commendedThe Green Visitor by Richard Higby (Australia)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I had read that Comet Lulin was approaching our Solar System. This speeding dirty snowball would not revisit us during our lifetime! This was all that was needed to rush home on a number of occasions praying for a break in the clouds and weather to capture the green visitor from our backyard in North Sydney, Australia.’
  What it shows: Comets are visitors from the frozen edges of the Solar System. A comet’s nucleus is a chunk of ice and rock just a few kilometres across. As it passes close to the Sun, ice on the surface evaporates. This streams off into space to produce the comet’s spectacular tail of dust and gas, millions of kilometres long.
  Equipment: Wiliam Optics Megrez 90mm doublet apochromatic refractor with a SBIG ST-2000MXC CCD camera on a Takahashi EM200 equatorial mount
• Our Solar System – highly-commendedThe Crescent Venus by Lorenzo Comolli (Italy)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘The Sun was very near and it was very hard to be sure not to burn the imaging camera!’
  What it shows: As it moves around the Sun, our neighbouring planet, Venus, appears to go through a series of phases from crescent to full, just like the Moon. These phases can only be seen through a telescope or binoculars. They were first observed by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei exactly 400 years ago. His observations proved that Venus must orbit the Sun, showing that not everything in the Universe goes around the Earth.
  Equipment: 30cm Newtonian reflector with Barlow lens and a modified Philips Vesta Pro webcam with a monochrome sensor
• Our Solar System – highly-commendedSinus Iridum by Nick Smith (UK)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘The Sinus Iridum shot was taken from my back garden at Oxford in the UK. It is an area of the Moon that I often return to in the hope of capturing a few more of the illusive ‘craterlets’ that litter the floor of the bay.’
  What it shows: Sinus Iridum, or the ‘Bay of Rainbows’ lies on the edge of the Moon’s ‘Sea of Rains’ (Mare Imbrium). The smooth floor of the bay is filled with dark lava, which solidified billions of years ago and is surrounded by rugged mountains.  These highlands are older than the lava plains and are therefore more heavily scarred by craters – the relics of ancient meteorite impacts.
  Equipment: Celestron C14 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a Tele Vue 1.8x Barlow lens and a Lumenera Infinity 2-1M CCD camera
  

smellfish

• Deep Space – winnerOrion Deep Wide Field by Rogelio Bernal Andreo (USA)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I love this image for several reasons. One, because it includes a feature easily recognizable even from light-polluted skies (Orion’s belt), so anyone can “place” this image in the sky. Another reason is because the composition resembles a complex and beautiful stellar landscape, rather than just an object placed in the middle of the frame.’
  What it shows: The three bright stars of Orion's Belt, on the left of this image, are a familiar sight in the winter sky. Here, however, a long exposure reveals an epic vista of dust and gas clouds which are too faint to be seen by the naked eye. This is an immense region of space hundreds of light years across. It contains several well-known astronomical sights, including the Horsehead Nebula (bottom centre) and the Orion Nebula (top right).
  Equipment: Takahashi FSQ 106 EDX 106mm refractor with 0.7x focal reducer with a SBIG STL11000 CCD camera on a Takahashi EM-400 equatorial mount
  What the judges say: Pete Lawrence says: ‘This is a truly superb image which reveals an amazing amount of dark dust permeating the space in the direction of Orion’s belt and down to his sword. The way the faint detail between the Orion Nebula and Horsehead Nebula has been brought out is nothing short of astonishing. This alien skyscape really captivates my imagination and I could look at it for hours on end!’
  What Flickr members say: Nightfly Photography says: ‘Amazingly deep and delicate at the same time. Kudos to you and your work.’
  
• Deep Space – runner-upThe Veil Nebula in Cygnus by Martin Pugh (UK/Australia)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I was struck by the way the blues and reds intermingle throughout this image, without manipulation. Rotated 90 degrees clockwise, the Veil Nebula transforms into an intergalactic jellyfish.’
  What it shows: The Veil Nebula is the aftermath of a supernova explosion, the violent death of a star many times more massive than the Sun. Thousands of years later, the debris from the blast is still spreading out through space, in the form of this glowing cloud of gas. Explosions like this are the source of many of the chemical elements from which planets, and even life, have formed.
  Equipment: Takahashi FSQ 106N 106mm apochromatic refractor on a Software Bisque Paramount ME mount with a SBIG STL11000M CCD camera
  
• Deep Space – highly-commendedThe Sword and the Rose (Orion’s sword and M42) by Marcus Davies (Australia)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘Apart from its sheer beauty and astronomical significance, I imaged this object because it’s quite difficult to capture properly. My goal was to render the complex colours as vividly and as faithfully as possible.’
  What it shows: This cloud of dark dust and glowing gas in the Sword of Orion is the M42 nebula, a stellar nursery where new stars are being born. M42 is visible to the naked eye but a telescope reveals the full beauty of this giant star factory. The fierce radiation from newly-formed stars peels back the layers of gas, like a giant flower unfurling its petals.
  Equipment: Takahashi TOA-150 150mm refractor with a SBIG STL11000M CCD camera on a Takahashi EM-400 equatorial mount
  
• Deep Space – highly-commendedThe Trifid Nebula (M20)by Eddie Trimarchi (Australia)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I have imaged this particular nebula every year over the last 10 years, with various telescopes and lenses. It’s a beautiful object at any scale and particularly so up-close.’
  What it shows: This glowing cloud of gas takes its name from the dark lanes of dust which appear to divide it into three. The pink glow comes from hydrogen molecules which have been energized by the stars at the centre of the nebula. To the left of the image a neighbouring cloud of dust reflects the blue light of the central stars.
  Equipment: 16-inch Richey-Chretien telescope with an Apogee Alta U9000 CCD camera
  
• Deep Space – highly-commendedThe Andromeda Galaxy (M31)by Edward Henry (USA)
  
  
  What the photographer says: ‘I like the way this came out. If I were going to do anything different, I might bring out those red areas a little more...and of course, more exposure time is always good.’
  What it shows: Andromeda is one of the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way. Even so, the light from Andromeda takes two-and-a-half million years to reach us, so we see this galaxy as it appeared in the distant past. Like the Milky Way, Andromeda contains hundreds of billions of stars as well as dust and gas swirling in its spiral arms. Seen from Andromeda, our own galaxy would probably look very similar to this.
  Equipment: TMB 152mm refractor with a SBIG STL11000M CCD camera
  
  

lupo

前面几张照片真像仙境，虽然没有去过！

snowspring

Fantastic photos!

lulu

有时候看这样震撼的天文照片会觉得自己似乎不朽，这是不是摄影师孜孜以求的瞬间之一？

暖暖阳光

好漂亮，我看过一篇关于拍摄月亮的，啥时有空再贴上来

土豆想旅行

wow太壮观了 咱啥时候也能去银河中游览一番   拍个照留念啥的