The shortlist for the 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year has been officially revealed, showcasing 21 finalist images that are nothing short of cosmic masterpieces. Now in its 17th year, this globally celebrated competition received a record-breaking 5,880 submissions from photographers across 68 countries—each capturing the grandeur of the universe through a unique lens.
Photo by: Fabian Dalpiaz
From a hauntingly beautiful blood moon rising over Shanghai to a stunning close-up of a comet’s twin tails, this year’s finalists display exceptional technical precision, artistic vision, and celestial storytelling. One particularly awe-inspiring entry presents a family portrait of the Solar System, creatively capturing planetary alignment in a single, perfectly timed shot. These images push the boundaries of astrophotography, revealing distant galaxies, star trails, auroras, eclipses, and rare celestial alignments with remarkable clarity and imagination.
The competition, organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with ZWO, continues to attract both amateur and professional photographers who share a passion for exploring the cosmos. Whether taken from backyards or remote deserts, the finalist photographs invite viewers to look up and reconnect with the vast beauty of the night sky.
This year’s selection is a brilliant celebration of science, art, and patience—where long exposures meet creative expression. The winners of each category will be announced later this year, but these 21 finalists already represent the very best in astronomical photography for 2025. With such captivating scenes of our universe, these images remind us how small we are—and how wondrous it is to witness the heavens through human eyes.
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#1. "Blood Moon Rising Behind the City Skyscrapers" by Tianyao Yang
#2. "The Arctic Flower" by Vincent Beudez
#3. "Gateway to the Galaxy" by Yujie Zhang
#4. "500,000-km Solar Prominence Eruption" by PengFei Chou
#5. "Eight-Panel Mosaic of M31: Stars, Nebulae and Central Bulge" by Chuhong Yu, Jingyao Hong, Xi Zhu, Yaguang Wan
#6. "Into the Past" by Jim Hildreth
#7. "Moonrise Perfection Over the Dolomites" by Fabian Dalpiaz
#8. "Dragon Tree Trails" by Benjamin Barakat
#9. "Total Solar Eclipse" by Louis Egan
#10. "Comet Over Waikiki" by Ran Shen
#11. "Fireworks" by Bence Tóth, Péter Feltóti and Bertalan Kecskés
#12. "Solar System Portrait" by Sophie Paulin
#13. "Aurora Over Mono Lake: A Rare Dance of Light" by Daniel Zafra
#14. "NGC 6164 and NGC 6165: The Dragon’s Egg" by Charles Pevsner
#15. "Moonrise Over Villebois-Lavalette" by Flavien Beauvais
#16. "Close-up of a Comet" by Gerald Rhemann and Michael Jäger
#17. "Cave of Stars" by Yoshiki Abe
#18. "Lunar Occultation of Saturn" by Chayaphon Phanitloet
#19. "Progression of Baily’s Beads" by Damien Cannane
#20. "Electric Threads of the Lightning Spaghetti Nebula" by Shaoyu Zhang
#21. "Neon Sun" by Peter Ward
