The Superb Sun and Moon Winners from the 2025 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards

Category winner: “Active Region of the Sun’s Chromosphere” by James Sinclair

The 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards have revealed stunning winners in the Sun and Moon categories, bringing the cosmos closer than ever.

James Sinclair’s fiery image of the Sun’s chromosphere pulses with magnetic energy and plasma, offering a rare glimpse into the heart of our solar system. Marcella Giulia Pace’s ethereal Moon photograph transforms lunar light into a dreamy spectrum of atmospheric refraction. Together with 21 other finalists, these works remind us that space still holds breathtaking beauty waiting to be uncovered.

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Runner-up: “A Sun Yawn” by Zhang Yanguang

Highly commended: “500,000-km Solar Prominence Eruption” by PengFei Chou

“Glowing Shark Fin” by Ran Shen

“Near and Far” by Peter Ward

“Sun Dogs” by Andrea Altherr

“AR 13780 in Multiple Spectra” by Salvo Lauricella

“The Source of Light” by Pawel Zygmunt

“Encounter Within One Second” by Zhang Yanguang

“Progression of Baily’s Beads” by Damien Cannane

Category winner: “The Trace of Refraction” by Marcella Giulia Pace

Runner-up: “Saturnrise” by Tom Williams

Highly commended: “Aristarchus on the Moon” by Raul Cantemir

“Moonrise Perfection Over the Dolomites” by Fabian Dalpiaz

“The Last Mineral Supermoon of 2024” by Karthik Easvur

“Tycho and Surroundings” by Andrea Vanoni

“And Yet It Moves” by Russ Baum

“Rimae Ariadeus and Rimae Hyginus” by Lóránd Fényes

“Over the South Pole Region” by Lóránd Fényes

“Moonrise Over Villebois-Lavalette” by Flavien Beauvais

“Close Approach of the Moon and Venus” by Yeongbeom Lee

“Lunar Occultation of Saturn” by Chayaphon Phanitloet

“A Close-up of Theophilus Crater” by Tom Williams