Dubbed "The Quiet Predator," the image by skywatcher Ali Alobaidly shows off the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235), which is roughly 650 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus (the Whale). (For perspective, the nearest star system to our planet is only about 4 light-years away.) The stunning image was chosen as the overall winner of the Royal Observatory Greenwich's 18th ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest, whose honorees were announced Thursday (Sept. 17).
"The juxtaposition of an oceanic predator, prowling the skies above the Kuwaiti desert, is something I find deeply poetic, and it is what first drew me to this remarkable region of the sky," Alobaidly said in a statement. "To me, it represents perfectly my love for both the universe, and the deserts of my ancestors."
Below are several of the individual category winners, along with their breathtaking photos.
(Image credit: © Radoslav Sviretsov)(Image credit: © Petr Horalek)
Our Moon: "Venusian Pearl on the Moon," by Petr Horalek (Czechia). This image was taken on Sept. 19, 2025, when the moon passed in front of Venus from the perspective of select locations on Earth. "The most beautiful moment was when Venus had just started to disappear behind the crescent. It looked like a bright pearl on the lunar limb," the observatory judges stated. (Horalek is no newcomer to astrophotography, and Live Science has featured several of his incredible images before.)
(Image credit: © Miguel Claro)(Image credit: © Max Inwood)
People and Space: "A Message from the Ancients," by Max Inwood (Aotearoa/New Zealand). Inwood showcased petroglyphs (ancient rock art) in California's desert in his prize-winning photo. The petroglyph in the image is believed to show the 13 full moons Earth usually witnesses each year.
(Image credit: © Tom Williams)(Image credit: © Stefano Pellegrini)
Skyscapes: "Botswana Star Trail," by Stefano Pellegrini (Italy). This image was captured in Botswana in a location called Nxai Pan, which has large baobab trees. "Pellegrini played with the exposure and saturation, resulting in this almost psychedelic image," observatory representatives said.
(Image credit: © 智鹏 严and Xinran Li)Related storiesGalaxies: "NGC 4753: A Symphony of Dust Lanes in Virgo," by © 智鹏 严and Xinran Li (China). This image, taken in Chile, showcases NGC 4753, a galaxy roughly 60 million light-years from our planet, in the constellation Virgo. The photo highlights a "striking network of dust lanes swirling around its luminous core," observatory representatives explained.
To see the full list of winners and the judges' statements, visit the contest website.
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