A Deep-Space Shark Is Prowling the Cosmos—and the Photo Just Won a Major Award

The universe is showing off in dazzling images highlighted by the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards. From closeup views of our solar system to distant wonders of galaxies and nebulae, this year’s competition winners have captured the diverse wonders of space in haunting detail. The competition, organized by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, attracted nearly 4,000 entries from photographers around the world. The overall winner of the competition is The Quiet Predator by Ali Alobaidly from Kuwait, which captures the massive, dark absorption of the Shark Nebula. The panel of judges also selected winners across eight different categories, in addition to two special prizes. The full list of winners can be viewed here, and they will also be on public display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. Below are a few of Gizmodo’s favorite picks from the 18th edition of the space photography awards. Stellar leftovers Abell 85. Credit: Cédric Humbert Located in the constellation Cassiopeia around 9,780 light-years away from Earth, Abell 85 is an expanding shell of gas left behind in the aftermath of a star’s death. The faint supernova remnant is extremely dim and challenging to capture. To obtain this highly commended image in the stars and nebula category, photographer Cédric Humbert used 30 hours of exposure to highlight the doubly ionized oxygen signal and bring out the filaments of the ball of matter at the center. Anatomy of the chromosphere Anatomy of the Chromosphere. Credit: Peter Ward This runner-up image reveals the Sun like we’ve never seen it before. Photographer Peter Ward chose to highlight the layers of the Sun’s chromosphere, or the part of the star’s atmosphere located just above the visible surface. “The image reveals the chromosphere’s deep hidden structure. Calcium-H structures shimmer in electric lilac, interwoven with the scarlet glow of ionised hydrogen. Red H-alpha filaments cross the solar surface, and prominences rise from the limb [the edge of the solar disc],” Ward explained in a statement. “The blue component reveals the Sun’s magnetic architecture, highlighting the areas where powerful magnetic fields erupt through the surface.” The crown The Crown. Credit: Radoslav Sviretsov A quiet scene of magnetic beauty captures a powerful backdrop of the Northern Lights against a small church in Iceland’s Fúlipollur. “In moments like this, I feel nothing but gratitude for being in the right place at the right time. The aurora sighting unfolded during a particularly strong geomagnetic storm, an event that allowed us to witness the Northern Lights in a way rarely seen,” photographer Radoslav Sviretsov said in a statement. “This small traditional Icelandic church lies between Keflavík and Reykjavík, far from light pollution, a place where the sky remains dark and truly alive.” The quiet predator The Quiet Predator. Credit: Ali Alobaidly “Sometimes a photograph comes alive through its flawless presentation, pin-sharp details and dynamic contrast of light and dark. This is such an image,” Steve Marsh, competition judge, said of the overall winning photo. The shark nebula is made up of clouds of interstellar gas and dust that stretch into the shape of the iconic apex predator. “The Shark Nebula is already a striking object, but when it is resolved to the point where even detail-rich distant galaxies can be seen through it, you know you’re looking at something very special,” Marsh elaborated in a statement. “Perfectly rendered, softly glowing stars visible to the very edges of the frame, thin wisps of tenuous nebulosity consistent across the whole ‘shark’ and a brilliantly resolved dark nebula patch for its eye put this image at the very forefront of modern astrophotography.” Venusian pearl Venusian Pearl on the Moon. Credit: Petr Horalek On September 19, 2025, the Moon crossed in front of Venus’ path in the daytime sky, creating a rare lunar occultation of the planet. Photographer Petr Horalek captured this moment as Venus dipped the crescent Moon. “It was a big challenge to find both objects in the sky and produce good shots of this unusual view,” Horalek said in a statement. “Fortunately, the weather was perfect and I was able to do it. 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.” A message from the ancients A Message From The Ancients. Credit: Max Inwood In this stunning contrast between the night skies and their influence on people, photographer Max Inwood captured an ancient petroglyph panel, known as the 13 Moons, in the California desert. “This petroglyph is thought to be an ancient calendar depicting the 13 Full Moons that Earth can experience in a year,” Inwood said. “In this photograph I captured the northern constellation Cygnus above the site. This region of the Milky Way is full of bright hydrogen emission nebulae, which contribute to the reds and pinks seen in the sky. The colors contrasted beautifully with the strong green airglow present on the horizon, creating a rainbow of tones. A small light was used to illuminate the petroglyph, which would otherwise be difficult to see in detail under the pristine dark sky.” Echoes of an ancient explosion M1 Echoes Of An Ancient Explosion. Credit: Haocheng Zhu Photographer Haocheng Zhu is the winner of the best newcomer category for capturing the bright supernova remnant known as the Crab Nebula (Messier 1 or M1). “I began astrophotography less than a year ago and M1 reshaped how I see the night sky,” Zhu said. “In 1054 CE, during China’s Song Dynasty, astronomers recorded a “guest star” bright enough to be visible even in daylight—a supernova whose remnant we now know as the Crab Nebula. Its tangled filaments still expand through space, carrying the energy of an explosion witnessed nearly 1,000 years ago. What appears faint today was once brilliant to the naked eye.” Comet Lemmon Comet C2025 A6 (lemmon). Credit: Julien De Winter And Landon Boehm Newly discovered Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) made its closest approach to Earth in October 2025 before it disappeared from sight. This image was taken from the Starfront Observatories in Texas when the comet was approximately 63 million miles (101 million kilometers) away from Earth on October 28, 2025. “A few days before it reached perihelion on 8 November, its closest approach to the Sun, the comet was already displaying remarkable activity and offered an extraordinary sight in the night sky,” photographers Julien De Winter and Landon Boehm said.