The latest mirrorless cameras and fast lenses have inspired a lot more photographers to try astro photography, along with advances in image-editing software.
The Milky Way is one of the best ‘celestial objects’ to feature in your images and the winners of the eighth Milky Way Photographer of the Year exhibition have just been announced, featuring 25 of the best Milky Way images from around the world.
Organised by the travel photography blog Capture the Atlas, a big highlight of this year’s competition is an image of the Milky Way shot from by space. It was taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit during his recent mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The 2025 edition of the competition received over 6000 entries from 25 countries. ‘The selected images highlight not just classic astrophotography locations but also rare and remote landscapes – from the deserts of Chad and the peaks of the Andes to the surreal scenery of Socotra Island and the untouched skies of New Zealand and Namibia,’ noted the organisers.
This year’s entries also feature celestial events such as a comet, a meteor shower, and a lunar eclipse, all captured under the Milky Way’s glow. You can see the full list of winners here, but below is a taster of some of the fabulous images to make the cut.
Don’t miss this top astrophotographer at our Festival of Outdoor Photography
The Milky Way season typically runs from February to October in the northern hemisphere, and it’s a perennially popular subject.
Josh Dury, one of the UK’s hottest young astrophotographers, is an expert at including the Milky Way in his landscape shots, and is a star speaker at the Festival of Outdoor Photography which kicks off in London on May 30th – click here to book your last-minute ticket but hurry as they are selling fast. You can save 25% on the ticket price by quoting FINAL25 at checkout.
