Key points
- The David Malin Awards sponsored by CSIRO celebrate some of the world’s best astrophotographers and the images they work hard to create.
- This year’s judging panel sifted through 261 entries to identify winners across six categories.
- The winning images are on display at CSIRO’s Parkes Observatory Visitors Centre these school holidays.
Our growing cities with their bright lights can make it hard to see the delights of space: planets, stars, nebulas, even other galaxies. If we can’t visit somewhere with dark skies, at least we have astrophotographers peering into the cosmos for us.
The David Malin Awards showcase some of the finest features of our night sky. An international astrophotography competition, the awards are run by the Central West Astronomical Society and hosted at CSIRO’s Parkes Observatory Visitors Centre.
Renowned astrophotographer Alex Cherney, who has captured CSIRO’s radio telescopes under brilliant skies, was one of the judges. He said they were looking for the ‘wow’ factor.
“Technical perfection alone doesn't make an image stand out. The best astrophotographs aren't just documentation – they reveal the cosmos in ways that inspire and educate.”
Each of the six award categories highlight special techniques, storytelling possibilities or features of our sky. All, different ways to inspire us to head outside and look up.
Category: Nightscapes
The awards are named for astrophotographer David Malin, whose philosophy was that astrophotography should blend scientific integrity with artistic beauty.
“Whether it's in the way the Milky Way frames the landscape, the delicate colours in an emission nebula, intricate dust structures, or the perfect moment capturing a meteor or comet,” said Alex Cherney.
The Nightscapes category combines landscape and a skyscape, creating a contrast or building a connection between the Earth we stand on and the dynamic Universe above us. The images are often produced with a single exposure or a multi-shot panorama.
Janice Terrill combines a terrestrial mangrove lake and building storm with the extraterrestrial comet, Atlas in her highly commended image. What will strike first: comet or lightning?
Category: Junior
Not all of us have years of experience behind us and the ability to travel the world chasing auroras or eclipses! The Junior category is a chance for those under 18 years to try their hand at what may just become a life-long obsession.
The judges, Alex said, appreciated images that make us feel something or see the universe differently, revealing what we can't see with our eyes alone. Charlie Marzolla’s winning image of the Eagle Nebula does just that.
Category: Widefield
“David taught us that aesthetic qualities come first, followed by presentation, technical competence, and relative difficulty,” said Alex.
The Widefield category consists of images typically with professional cameras that have a wide field of view. They capture a region of space, rather than singular objects in the sky.
A Supernova’s legacy – Vela SNR by Rod Prazeres is a segment of a supernova remnant created when the supermassive star Vela exploded about 11,000 years ago.
Category: Solar System
The Solar System category is reserved for images taken with a telescope of objects within our Solar System – that being the Sun, the planets, the moons and local asteroids.
“We pay attention to sharp stars and clean processing, but we're more impressed when these skills are used creatively while maintaining the integrity of the astronomical subject and respecting the light,” said Alex.
“It's about understanding the tools and using them to achieve something special.”
Andy Casely’s winning image, A Journey Through the Equinox, shows Saturn changing throughout the year. The collage reminds us of how different this planet can look to Earth as it rotates on its axis, with rings disappearing completely.
Category: Deep Sky
“We're looking for photographs that make people fall in love with the night sky,” said Alex.
“The winning images show us the universe through fresh eyes and remind us why astronomy continues to inspire wonder - just as David's groundbreaking images have done for decades.”
Entrants cannot use professional telescopes (like CSIRO’s, or optical ones like Hubble) for their images. With that in mind, it seems almost impossible that photographs like Anne-Maree McComb’s winning image, BBW56, can be taken from Earth.
The Deep Sky category is for astronomical objects captured using the photographer’s camera mounted to a telescope. BBW56 is a molecular cloud possibly shaped by shockwaves from the births and deaths of nearby stars.
Category: People and Sky
Each year, a specific theme gives astrophotographers the chance to be creative with their subject matter. This year’s theme, People and Sky, offered a challenge as the logistics of capturing an image of the sky – which usually requires long exposures – with people in the foreground can be quite difficult.
But the competition’s aim was to encourage creativity using simple equipment, such as a tripod and a camera, to make engaging photos of people interacting with the night sky.
Kelvin Hennessy’s Full Moon with Waving Q1 Climbers meets the challenge with a fun photograph of the Moon and some Gold Coast holidaymakers all in the right place at the right time.
“I am always looking out for images that might show our relationship with the cosmos,” said Alex.
“They reveal hidden structures in familiar objects or capture that perfect moment when everything aligns.”
David Malin Awards
The David Malin astrophotography awards are sponsored by CSIRO and run by the Central West Astronomical Society. Alex Cherney was joined by Peter Ward and Selena Simpson on this year’s judging panel.
You can view all the winning photos on the David Malin Awards website or on display at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory Visitors Centre.