The 2025 Astronomy Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award has been won by Benjamin Barakat's 'Dragon Tree Trails', a breathtaking image of a lone Dragon's Blood tree surrounded by trailing stars. This captivating scene, captured from Firmihin Forest in Yemen, showcases the beauty of the night sky and the apparent movement of stars due to Earth's rotation. Barakat's technique of stacking 300 individual exposures and underexposing slightly with a low ISO allowed him to create vibrant trails without compromising quality. This image not only showcases the technical prowess of astrophotography but also the magical nature of the universe. The second place winner, 'The Vela Supernova Remnant' by Steeve Body, captures a cosmic nebula known as the Vela supernova remnant, a remnant of a massive star that exploded long ago. Body's use of narrowband and color filters enhances the natural appearance of the glowing gases, revealing faint structures that would otherwise remain hidden. The third place winner, 'Raining Down On Dunstanburgh Castle' by Peter Greig, features an aurora display over Embleton Bay in the UK. Greig's unique perspective and vertorama technique capture the intensity of a powerful solar storm, offering a rare glimpse of the aurora above the castle. These winning images not only showcase the beauty of the night sky but also the technical skills of the photographers. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, run by Royal Museums Greenwich in London, UK, is the biggest astrophotography competition in the world, attracting hundreds of images from entrants across the globe. The People's Choice Award, in particular, allows the public to vote for their favorite images, making it a highly anticipated event in the astrophotography community. The 2026 competition is now open for entries, and the winning images will be announced in September 2026, with the top entries to be exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in London, UK. These awards not only celebrate the beauty of the night sky but also inspire further exploration and appreciation of the universe.
