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ANNOUNCING THE WINNER!

Many thanks to all who entered the INTERNATIONAL ASTROPHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024 competition!

We are excited to announce that Brian Puhl has won the title with his extraordinary image, “Wolf’s Cave,” a breath-taking capture of vdb 152, Barnard 175, and DeHt-5. This year’s competition saw an incredible variety of stunning astrophotography, making the selection process challenging.

Congratulations to our talented winner and all participants for their remarkable contributions!

SKY-WATCHER INTERNATIONAL ASTROPHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

As judged by Kevin LeGore

GOLD AWARD WINNER:

Brian Puhl – Wolf’s Cave

SILVER AWARD WINNERS:

(in no particular order)

Charlie Hagen – Galactic Cataclysm
Charlie Hagen – Ashen Blaze of Taurus
Tom Williams – ISS
Tom Williams – Lunar Occultation of Mars

BRONZE AWARD WINNERS:

(in no particular order)

Jakob Sahner – M81/M82 Region
Damien Cannane – Totality
Devesh Pande – Rosette Nebula
Devesh Pande – Thor’s Helmet
Hannah Rochford – Tadpoles of Auriga
Hannah Rochford – Elephant Trunk
Craig McDearmid – Christmas Tree
Tom Williams – Saturn
Brian Puhl – Croc’s Eye
Brian Puhl – M63
Robert Dodson – Melotte 15
Jose Rodrigues – NGC7023
Ben Brotherton – M83
Ben Brotherton – Cocoon Nebula
Ben Brotherton – NCG3718

PRIZES:

GOLD/OVERALL WINNER x 1

Sky-Watcher ESPRIT 100mm – valued at $4599

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INTERNATIONAL OVERALL WINNER PHOTO

International GOLD 2Brian Puhl – Wolf’s Cave
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Brian Puhl

BRIAN PUHL – WOLF’S CAVE

Brian Puhl is an astrophotographer based out of North Carolina, US.  He has been imaging from his back yard since 2022 after a simple cell phone picture of the Milky Way spiked his curiosity and started the new adventure.  He images with 2 Esprit 100s and an Esprit 150, all riding on Skywatcher mounts.

Image details:

Wolf’s Cave Nebula, otherwise known as vdB 152, is a beautiful target in itself, however it frames even better when the SNR shell of G 110.3 +11.3 adds jaw dropping depth to the image.  With 20 hours hydrogen alpha data, as well as emissionless processing techniques, this image has a combined integration of over 37 hours.

Acknowledgement of Sponsorship

We are honoured to acknowledge Sky-Watcher as the official sponsor of the 2024 Sky-Watcher Astrophotographer of the Year competition. Established in 1999 by Synta Technology Corporation of Taiwan, Sky-Watcher has become a leading name in the world of amateur astronomy. With their extensive range of high-quality telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, and other essential astronomy equipment, Sky-Watcher has empowered countless enthusiasts to explore the night sky.

Their commitment to making astronomy accessible and enjoyable for all is reflected in their continued support of this prestigious competition. By sponsoring the 2024 Sky-Watcher Astrophotographer of the Year, they help celebrate and inspire the next generation of Astrophotographers, who share a passion for capturing the beauty of the cosmos.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Sky-Watcher for their invaluable support, and we look forward to a stellar year of astronomical achievements made possible by their partnership.

THANKS TO OUR JUDGE!

Many thanks to our judge Kevin LeGore!

Kevin got his start in astronomy when he was nine years old. Over the years he has moved up to being senior product specialist for Sky-Watcher North America and also runs his own outreach program Focus Astronomy. He enjoys deep sky and solar observing but also images faint and odd nebula when he can.

We sincerely appreciate his time and expertise and you can find his social media accounts below.

KEVIN LeGORE

@focus_astronomy
focusastrono.org