ESTRELLA FOTOGRÁFICA
M51 — The Whirlpool Galaxy © Martin Pugh
In a whirl. Pugh's grand prize-winning entry
(which also won the "Deep Space" category) shows the Whirlpool galaxy's
spiral arms in sharp detail; trails of light show a smaller, neighboring
galaxy being slowly torn apart by the Whirlpool's gravitational pull.
M51—also known as the Whirlpool galaxy—is a classic spiral galaxy that
scientists have studied for centuries. But this mesmerizing new image of
the galaxy has nabbed Australian photographer Martin Pugh the top prize
in the fourth annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards,
announced this week. The sharp detail of the spiral’s arms, defined by
dark, dusty areas and bright, pink clouds of hydrogen, impressed the
judges. “This is arguably one of the finest images of M51 ever taken by
an amateur astronomer,” said judge and astronomer Will Gater in a press
release. Pugh’s photograph—which was chosen from more than 800 entries
from around the world and earned him £1500—as well as those of the
winners in categories such as ”Young Astronomy Photographer of the
Year,” “Earth and Space,” and “Our Solar System,” are now on display at the Royal Observatory Greenwich
in the United Kingdom. Other standout entries include a photograph of
the Pleiades cluster, taken by a 15-year-old astronomer, and an image of
this year’s transit of Venus across the sun, which was taken on 6 June.
on 20 September 2012, 1:55 PM
