Η ΓΝΩΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΙΟ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΑ ΑΠΟ ΑΥΤΟ
We're starting off the week with a mechanical marvel: a homemade dragster with dual Rolls-Royce jet engines that's been 17 years in the making – and could potentially hit 400 mph.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: High-speed, Drag Racing, Jets
From 350,757 coin flips to prove probability to assessing the swimming abilities of dead trout, the winners of the 2024 Ig Nobel Prize have been recognized for their work in absurd scientific research. And somewhat fitting for the recipients, they all walked away with a coveted $100-trillion Zimbabwean banknote, worth around US$0.40.
Category: Science
Tags: Ig Nobel Prize, Research, Animal science, Experimental
Most of us don’t eat as much fruit and veggies as we know we should, but that goal might now be a bit more achievable. Scientists in Spain have engineered a new “Golden Lettuce” with 30 times more nutrients than the regular green stuff.
Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle
Tags: Genetic engineering, Vegetables, Food, Food technology, Crops, Nutrition
The Black Lives Matter protests that spread across the US in 2020 caused a rapid drop in racial bias, but by the end of the year, it had risen again, according to new research. While the protests shone a light on institutional racism, this study highlights the need for using other measures to ensure long-lasting change.
Category: Research Watch, Science
After almost five decades sailing through space, NASA is trying to squeeze a few more years out of the venerable Voyager 1 deep space probe by swapping a wonky thruster system for a disused secondary one to ensure the craft can keep its radio antenna pointing at the Earth.
Tags: Voyager, NASA, Spacecraft
The CT-2 is a shape-shifting four-wheeled urban getabout, a tandem two-seater that can park in motorcycle spaces and filter through traffic – but that spreads its wheels wider for stability at higher speeds. It's slated for production in 2026.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Shape-shifting, Transformable, urban transport, urban vehicle, Electric Vehicles, tandem
After five days in orbit, the Polaris Dawn mission, which conducted the world's first commercial spacewalk, has returned safely to Earth. At 3:36 am EDT, the Dragon capsule Resilience splashed down off the coast of the Dry Tortugas, Florida.
Tags: Spacewalk, Space Tourism, SpaceX, Dragon
If you're not really into salt-water tanks or don't spend a lot of time in coral reefs, there's still a high probability you may have heard of the bluestreak cleaner wrasse fish. Likely because last year it passed the "mirror test", showing that it can recognize its own face in a mirror. Now researchers have found there's much more to it than we thought.
Tags: Fish, nature, Mirror, Marine Biology, Intelligence, Animal science
China leads the world in terms of renewable energy resources like solar power. And not just by a small margin either, making over twice as much solar power as the next highest country, the USA. Where do you store any excess solar energy for use when the sun isn't shining? Answer: in ridiculously big batteries.
Tags: Battery, Lithium-ion, Power Management, Grid-Level Energy Storage
The Pioneer 25 marks a momentous step in the world of motorsports as it passed the mandatory FIA crash tests. Developed solely for Extreme H, the world’s first hydrogen-powered motorsport, the car has a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph).
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: hydrogen-engine, Hydrogen, Hydrogen-powered, Racing, Off-road
The APS-C chip in the Samsung NX1 was the largest BSI CMOS sensor we'd then seen. It would be another four years before one was used again, in the Fujifilm X-T3.
Photo: DPReview.com
Ten years ago today, in 2014, Samsung announced its flagship mirrorless camera, the NX1. Built around Samsung's own 28MP APS-C BSI-CMOS sensor, the NX1 arrived with a level of performance not previously seen in a mirrorless camera.
The NX1 featured a hybrid autofocus system with phase-detect AF points across 90% of the frame, 15fps burst shooting (along with an AF system that could keep up), 4K video and impressive wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. And, at a body-only price of $1499, it arrived at a competitive price for its class.
When I was assigned to lead the review of the NX1, Samsung was barely on my radar as a camera manufacturer. Of course, I knew Samsung manufactured cameras, but like many serious photographers, I had never used one. To be blunt, I was blown away by what the NX1 could do, and it turned out to be the most capable mirrorless camera I had experienced to date.
I had used quite a few mirrorless cameras before the NX1, but the NX1 reset my expectations for what a mirrorless camera could do, and it felt like the first one that had the potential to replace a high-performance DSLR. The biggest compliment I could give it was that after using it for a short time, I stopped thinking about the fact that it was a mirrorless camera and just got on with the business of taking photos. I was so impressed that I picked the NX1 as my 2014 Gear of the Year.
You wouldn't mistake the NX1's 2.76M-dot OLED viewfinder for an optical viewfinder. Still, the implementation was good enough that after a short time, I stopped noticing it and focused on taking photos, a task for which the EVF was exceptionally well-designed.
Photo: Dale Baskin
The NX1 built a reputation for pushing the limits of mirrorless technology, and over the years, it acquired an almost mythical status in camera lore. Even now, I hear people speculate about what the camera industry might look like today if Samsung had remained in the business.
To be clear, many modern mirrorless cameras can run rings around the NX1 thanks to technologies like AI-based autofocus, stacked sensors, and video tools like Log gamma and internal ProRes or Raw recording. However, the NX1 was ahead of the curve, and it took several more years for those other advancements to come to fruition.
"The NX1 built a reputation for pushing the limits of mirrorless technology, and over the years, it acquired an almost mythical status in camera lore."How far ahead of the curve was it? Far enough that many people didn't even have computers capable of playing the H.265 video files the camera produced. The NX1 was the first time I can remember listing the same feature – the H.265 (HEVC) video codec – as both a pro and a con in the conclusion: pro because the codec was more advanced than the H.264 codec in everyday use at the time, pointing the way to the future, and con because many users had to run the NX1's video files through third-party software to convert it to a format that they could open on their computers.
The NX1 was by no means perfect. In our review, I called out the over-sensitive touch screen and some awkwardly located buttons, but these weren't significant shortcomings.
One factor that impressed us was Samsung's commitment to improving the camera through firmware updates. It provided several updates in the months after launch, some of which added significant features or performance improvements, particularly for video.
I was so impressed by the NX1 that I picked it as my 2014 Gear of the Year. Unfortunately, Samsung exited the camera market a few months later.In fact, a firmware update was responsible for delaying our review of the NX1 by a couple of months. About three days before our first review was set to publish, Samsung sent us a new firmware update that was only days from public release. It changed and improved the camera so much that it rendered much of our review obsolete. As a result, I had to retest almost every major feature on the camera, a task that took several weeks, and I essentially wrote an entirely new review, which is the version you read on DPReview.
Despite the fact that Samsung exited the dedicated camera market years ago, I have to admit that I still sometimes wonder how the industry might be different today if Samsung had stayed the course, creating competitive products that pushed the limits of what technology could do in a mirrorless camera. Of course, we'll never know, but it's certainly fun to speculate.
For our most recent Editors' Choice photo challenge, themed 'The Dog Days of Summer', we asked readers to share pictures showing how they embraced summer's hot, sweltering days. After submissions closed last week, our editors spent several days carefully reviewing all the entries and collectively selected our favorites.
With over 300 entries to choose from, our task was challenging, and we were reminded of how much talent exists within our DPReview community. Numerous photos could have made the cut – many more than we can present here – but we had to whittle it down to a manageable number.
On that note, we present our top 20 picks from this Editors' Choice photo challenge. And if we didn't get to feature your photo this time around, watch for our next photo challenge!
Sunset smilePhotographer: luka3rd
Description: My daughter enjoying the last sun rays on one of the summer evenings. It was taken in the village of Nea Skioni in Greece during our vacation in June of this year.
Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM
I think someone's watching...Description: Friends pose for a shot during a much needed hot summer dip in the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC), with Bowen Island in the distance.
Equipment: Canon AE-1 Program and Canon FD 50mm F1.4
A parade for the love of clayPhotographer: mikolaj_szary
Description: For years, I have been traveling during the Summer to Bolesławiec, a Polish city in Lower Silesia, where clay has been made for centuries. I go there whenever there is the annual ceramic festival, which takes place for several days. The most picturesque part of those days is a procession of people getting painted with clay, who are dressed in unique costumes. Everyone takes part in this parade. Creativity counts. I took this photo during this year's parade on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Equipment: Canon EOS 50D and Canon EF 24-70mm F4L IS USM
High altitude hikingPhotographer: NZ Scott
Description: On the Mestia-Ushguli Trail, Georgia.
Equipment: Sony RX100 VII
Dog days of summerPhotographer: TimJoeBill
Description: I saw this dog enjoying the view from a camper van on the coast in Highland, Scotland, on a rare warm and sultry August day.
Equipment: Leica SL2-S and Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH
UntitledPhotographer: Battery_Kinzie
Description: Taken on Lake Zürich, in Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen. It was a boiling hot day. This photo was taken at 20:16, and it was still warm enough that a cooling dip in (or dive into) the lake was an attractive proposition.
Equipment: Sony a6000
Ladies in CastelluccioPhotographer: Andrea Beneventi
Description: The traditional flowering of lentils in Castelluccio di Norcia.
Equipment: Canon EOS 700D
Dock jump sunsetPhotographer: owenleve
Description: Oliver Dock jumping at sunset. Donner Lake. Truckee, California. Enjoying the dog days of summer. Taken standing chest-deep in the lake.
Equipment: Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 14-30mm F4.5
Chillin' in the middle of the riverPhotographer: Dondog
Description: Happy day in Chesterfield Gorge, Massachusetts.
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon EF 40mm F2.8 STM
UntitledPhotographer: Ab S
Description: Mietze enjoying sun warmth (like only a cat can).
Equipment: Sony RX10 IV
Fishing at sunrisePhotographer: kodakrome
Description: Fishing at sunrise on a warm August morning. Garden City Beach, South Carolina.
Equipment: Canon EOS R8 and Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM
Fair winnerPhotographer: JeffryzPhoto
Description: Summer means county or state fairs, this being the San Diego County Fair. A girl proudly takes home her prize.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 and Fujifilm XF 16mm F1.4 R WR
Launch into summerPhotographer: Orangutaan
Description: A friend poses for a shot during a much needed hot summer dip in the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC), with Bowen Island in the distance.
Equipment: Canon AE-1 Program and Canon FD 50mm F1.4
The trampolinePhotographer: mcxxrr
Description: Taken in Rhodes. Loved all that was happening on the stairs and the boy discussing the far boat with the girl.
Equipment: OM System OM-D E-M1 Mark ii and Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100m F4 IS Pro
Admiring the sunsetPhotographer: CanmorePat
Description: A Rocky Mountain goat admires the sunset in his home in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia.
Equipment: Sony a6600 and Sony 18-35mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
The joys of summerPhotographer: Albert kings
Description: My daughter celebrating the little but most memorable things.
Equipment: Apple iPhone X
Where'd it go?Photographer: ULprof
Description: In a late afternoon golf tournament my son was playing in, I snapped this picture of all the kids looking off into the sunset as they desperately tried to track where their golf balls went.
Equipment: Sony a7R IV and Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II
4th of July pool time!Photographer: AlexeyV
Description: lol party for 4th of July, my son showing off his jumping skills.
Equipment: Fujifilm X100VI
The golden wings of summer glowPhotographer: Ritam Melgunov
Description: The egret flying up in the sunset glow. Captured at the end of August specifically for the Challenge. Surroundings of Gatchina, Leningrad region, Russia. My poem: How nice ‘tis to be a bird! A waft — and you are awing! A bird has no debt or deed, He can simply fly and sing— How nice ‘tis to be a bird! O freedom! O breadth! O flight! No bond, no care, no curb— Just soar to the happy height!— A bird speaks no hurting word Nor lies — a bird lives a dream— How nice ‘tis to be a bird! Oh, yes! I would fly with him!
Equipment: Canon EOS R7
Find your beachPhotographer: rshoub
Description: We were late getting off to the beach, but that didn't stop our granddaughter from getting a head start. Here she is on a blanket of sun coming through the skylight onto the floor of our Rhode Island summer rental cottage.
Equipment: Sony RX10
Old SJ-series Jeep models are some of the most iconic American things there are. At Vigilante 4x4 in Texas, however, adding rubber-burning muscle and a whole lot of engineering makes them even more.
Category: Automotive, Transport
It's been a busy week here at DPReview – we've shot several videos for the YouTube channel ( so stay tuned for those) and published our review of the Canon EOS R5 II. We're not the only ones, though; accessory makers have been putting out a lot of gear over the past few days, including some stainless steel SD cards, a new flash unit, and a YouTuber-inspired tripod.
Before we get to that, though, let's look at what deals are out there.
Deal of the Week: High-end, smaller sensors, low pricesCanon's EOS R7 is currently $200 off its list price, selling for $1,299. When we reviewed it last year, we called it "one of the most well-rounded, versatile, and capable APS-C mirrorless cameras for the money" but only gave it a Silver award because of the lack of great lens options for APS-C Canons. Since then, though, Sigma has announced two great, fast zooms for RF-S, along with a series of primes, which could all serve as excellent companions to the EOS R7.
Buy now:
Buy at B&H PhotoBuy at AdoramaBuy w/ RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM at Amazon.comThe Silver award-winning Panasonic G9 II is also on sale at $250 off retail for fans of the Micro Four Thirds system who want to shoot some video.
Buy now:
$1797 at Amazon.com$1898 at Adorama$1898 at B&H PhotoNow let's check out some accessories.
This SD card is metalDon't let the 'Gold' branding fool you; it's actually just stainless steel.
Image: Lexar
This week, Lexar announced that it'll make SD cards with a stainless steel casing instead of a plastic one. Dubbed the 'Armor' series, the cards are IP68-certified as water and dustproof (though that's far from unique among SD cards) and bend-resistant.
The company says its Armor cards are 'ideal for outdoor filming,' though you'll want to make sure any camera you put them in can stand up to the same rigors. According to Petapixel, the cards will be available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities, but so far, there's no word on how much they'll cost or when they'll be available.
The fastest tripod in the West Image: SmallRigCamera accessory maker SmallRig has teamed up with YouTuber Gene Nagata, AKA Potato Jet, to create the Tribex Hydraulic Carbon Fiber Tripod, which may just be one of the quickest-deploying camera supports out there.
The tripod's biggest selling point is its clutch system; squeeze a single pistol-grip-shaped handle, and the legs extend down to the ground. This not only allows for rapid deployment but quick leveling as well; if you're in too much of a hurry to use the ball head, you can squeeze the clutch and move the tripod so the varying heights of the legs are keeping it level. The company says it's tested for 20,000 leg extensions.
The Tribex isn't just a one-trick pony, though. Its list of features also includes an adjustable counterbalance, fluid head, the ability to mount the camera upside down for super low shots and 1/4-20 accessory mounting points.
However, none of that comes in an especially light or cheap package. The tripod retails at $799 and weighs 3.8kg (8.4lb). Its counterbalance system can support a payload of up to 6kg (13.2lb), and it has a maximum height of 168cm (66").
$799 at B&H $799 at SmallRig New phone, new case Image: SmallRigSpeaking of SmallRig, the company also announced a new product that's meant for people who plan to shoot a lot with a new iPhone 16. The FilMov Lightweight Photography Case Kit acts as both a case for your phone, as well as a mounting point for accessories and filters. The kit, which will retail for $35, also comes with a detachable handle for better ergonomics while shooting landscape video.
The case includes a cutout for the new 'Camera Control' button (Apple's first-party cases have what is essentially a passthrough button, which may be better for the swiping controls), and is available for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
$29.90 at SmallRig A double flash Image: GodoxGodox has announced the AD200Pro II, an update to one of its pocket flashes. It now features a color display for when you're navigating menus and also has a colored group indicator light that can let you know at a glance which group the flash is in.
The AD200Pro II comes with two heads: a bare bulb (capable of guide number 60) and a standard speedlight Fresnel (capable of guide number 52). The company says the new heads have improved heat dissipation and thus shouldn't overheat, even during a long shoot. Both heads also include a bi-color modeling light.
The flash has recycle times ranging from 0.01 seconds to 1.8 seconds and can be used in first-curtain sync, second-curtain sync, and high-speed sync modes. Its battery will last for up to 500 full-power flashes, according to Godox.
The AD200Pro II will retail for $349.
$349 at B&H $349 at Amazon Mic'd up Image: SonyFinally, Sony has announced a new premium lavalier microphone, the ECM-L1. It's made out of machined brass and can connect to a wide range of devices - including many cameras - using a 3.5mm jack. It also includes a locking ring for connecting it to a traditional mic pack.
The ECM-L1 comes with a metal windscreen as well as a fur-styled one and will retail for $279.
$279 at B&H $279 at Amazon Atomos in the Cloud Image: AtomosAtomos has announced that its Ninja and Shogun video monitors/recorders will soon be able to automatically upload footage to Dropbox or Frame.io. The added functionality will come via a free software update, and should make it more convenient to get footage off the devices.
The company says that, for a limited time, its Ninja Ultra and Shogun Ultra will be $150 and $200 off, respectively.
Ninja Ultra $649 on Amazon $649 on B&H Shogun Ultra $999 on Amazon $999 on B&HWestfalia may be back in North America, but it’s still doing its best work over in Europe. The world-famous pop-up camper builder joined the likes of Volkswagen and Ford in updating one of van life's icons at this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. It introduced a simpler, more streamlined version of the James Cook camper van it revived in 2019 as an innovative Mercedes-Benz Sprinter slide-expander for on- and off-road RVing. The new 600D floor plan does away with the added bulk of the expansion module, going for faster four-sleeper setup without losing any of the James Cook's other attributes.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Campervan, RV, Westfalia-Automotive, dusseldorf-caravan-salon-2024, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Off-road
Some bike headlights are designed to get you seen by motorists, while others are made to help you see the road. The Light Rail is claimed to excel at both, with a unique rectangular design that emphasizes light spread and movement over intensity.
Tags: bike lights, Cycling, Road Safety, Indiegogo
Few photography subjects offer the breadth of beauty as astronomy, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards celebrate that fact. The winners for 2024 have now been crowned, including some breathtaking shots of aurora, nebulae, our Sun and Moon, and everything in between.
Category: Photography, Technology
Tags: Astronomy, Photographers, aurora, Sun, Moon, Planet, Galaxy, Supernova, Nebula, Asteroid
Thanks to its raging success on Kickstarter, the Zera Max handheld fan could soon be a staple in many a camper's gear box. It produces a mighty flow of wind from a compact form factor, making it a tool with tons of uses in the woods and at home.
Tags: Vacuum cleaner, Camping, Kickstarter, Fan cooling
This week, Royal Observatory Greenwich announced the winners of its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. There are 11 categories, ranging from photos of skyscapes, the moon, galaxies, and more.
According to the observatory, there were over 3,500 entries for this year's competition.
Starting today, the winning images and runner-ups will be on display at a gallery in the National Maritime Museum. If you don't happen to live in Greenwich, you can also view the runners-up for each category on the museum's website.
Overall Winner: Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse by Ryan ImperioDistorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse, shot by Ryan Imperio in Odessa, Texas, was crowned the overall winner of the contest, as well as the winner of the 'Our Sun' category. According to a press release from the Observatory, Imperio said 'The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honoured to have my photo among them. I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!’
About the image: This is a sequence of continuously captured images showing the progression of Baily’s beads at third contact during the 2023 annular eclipse. Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse. These are a challenge to capture due to their brevity and the precise timing needed.
Equipment used: Nikon D810 camera, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens
600 mm F8, ISO 640, multiple 1/1,000-second exposures
Skyscapes Winner: Tasman Gems by Tom RaeAbout the image: This photograph shows the rugged peaks of the Tasman Valley reaching up to the impressive features of the southern hemisphere summer night sky. It includes the hydrogen clouds of the Gum Nebula (central red region) and various other regions of active star formation stretched throughout the fainter arms of the Milky Way. This part of the night sky that tends to be less photographed, due to the faintness of the Milky Way band.
Equipment used: Nikon Z 6 astro-modified and Nikon Z7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 40 mm F1.4 Art and Sigma 28 mm F1.4 Art lens
Sky: ISO 1,600, 40 mm F1.8, 31 x 30-second exposures; Foreground: ISO 100, 28 mm F10-14, 9 x 4-second exposures
Our Moon Winner: Shadow peaks of Sinus Iridum by Gábor BalázsAbout the image: This photograph shows Sinus Iridum, also known as the ‘Bay of Rainbows,’ a 260-kilometre diameter bay bordered by several smaller craters. The photographer used a monochrome camera with a filter to capture the area. The crater visible in the upper right corner, Pythagoras, is particularly noteworthy and is almost visible from the side due to the libration, the wavering of the Moon as viewed from Earth.
Equipment used: Heyde-Zeiss refractor telescope, ZWO green filter, ZWO ASI178MM-pro camera
4,500 mm, F15
Aurorae Winner: Queenstown Aurora by Larryn RaeAbout the image: The Aurora Australis captured above the mountains in Queenstown. It is a 19-image panorama capturing all the fast-moving beams that lit up the sky in February 2023. The photographer used an astro-modified camera to capture all the pink hues of the aurora which makes for an incredibly dynamic final image.
Equipment used: Canon EOS R5 H-alpha modified camera, 35 mm panorama
F2.8 ISO 3,200, Sky: 8 second-exposure, Foreground: 30-second exposure
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer Winner: SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula by Xin Feng and Miao GongAbout the image: SH2-308 (the Dolphin Head Nebula) is at a low angle and can only be shot for five hours a day. This image comprises a total of ten days of shooting and post-processing with PixInsight. The main body of the nebula and the background stellar wind are both prominent.
Equipment used: Takahashi TOA-130NS telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount, ZWO ASI6200MM-Cool camera
1,000 mm F7.7, Gain 100, 144 x 600-second H-alpha exposures, 140 x 600-second OIII exposures
Young Winner: NGC 1499, A Dusty California, by Daniele Borsari (age 14)About the image: This image features a deep integration on the California Nebula, NGC 1499, an emission nebula in the constellation of Perseus. It’s located at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth and it’s visible thanks to the ionization of gases by the blue giant star ξ Persei (Menkib).
Equipment used: ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera, Samyang 135 mm F2.0 lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount
135 mm F2.8, 263 × 300-second exposures, 228 × 180-second exposures (33 hours 19 minutes total exposure)
Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Winner: Anatomy of a Habitable Planet by Sergio Díaz RuizAbout the image: This seemingly alien world is actually our endangered planet, Earth, as a distant civilisation might study it. This image was created by mixing the 16 bands monitored by the GOES-18 weather satellite to encode land masses, oceans and atmospheric features as different colours.
Equipment used: Original data from GOES-18 ABI (Bands 1 to 16 (0.47 to 13.3 microns)) from 18 February 2024 and Suomi-NPP VIIRS (0.5 to 0.9 microns) from 2012–2020
Stars & Nebulae Winner: SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, and Richard GalliAbout the image: This impressive photograph is the result of 3,559 frames, 260 hours of exposure time and telescopes on three continents. The team worked to explore and photograph a previously unknown gigantic supernova remnant (SNR) in the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia. The international team of amateur astronomers is under the scientific leadership of Professor Robert Fesen (USA). The fact that amateurs have made such a discovery is a testament to how important their role has become in today’s astronomy.
Equipment used: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro and Paramount MyT GEM mounts, QHYCCD QHY600PH-M, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro and ZWO ASI6200MM Pro cameras
530 mm and 382 mm F3.6 and F5, 258 hours 32 minutes total exposure with 60-second, 180-second, 300-second and 600-second subframes
Planets, Comets & Asteroids Winner: On Approach by Tom WilliamsAbout the image: This false-colour composite shows the phases of Venus on approach to inferior conjunction, which is when Venus and the Earth appear close on the same side of the Sun. Using ultra-violet and infrared filters, the intricate cloud structure within the upper atmosphere of the planet is revealed. Despite Venus’s rotation period being many months long, the atmosphere is far from stationary, circling the planet in around four days. This makes UV imaging of Venus particularly interesting as the planet is much more dynamic than it otherwise would be if viewed in the visible spectrum.
Equipment used: Sky-Watcher 400P (16") GoTo Dobsonian Reflector telescope, Baader Bessel (U)BVRI and RG610 filters, ZWO ASI462MM camera
5,000 mm F12.3, multiple 15-millisecond exposures
People & Space Winner: High-Tech Silhouette by Tom WilliamsAbout the image: This H-alpha image of the Sun features the silhouette of the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the eastern solar limb. Crossing the field-of-view in just 0.2 seconds, ISS transits of the Sun are particularly rare for any one location on Earth. The Sun was active and a prominence right next to the station’s transit location can be seen.
Equipment used: Sky-Watcher Evostar 120 telescope, Daystar Quark Chromosphere filter, Sky-Watcher EQ3 Pro mount, Player One Apollo-M Max (IMX432) camera
4,300 mm F35, ISS: 19 x 0.70-millisecond exposures; Sun: 7,500 x 12-millisecond exposures
Galaxies Winner: Echoes of the Past by Bence Tóth and Péter FeltótiAbout the image: This picture shows the galaxy NGC 5128 and its surrounding tidal wave system as well as a visualization of the relativistic jet, powerful jets of radiation and particles travelling close to the speed of light. This interesting target can only be shot from the southern hemisphere, so the photographers travelled to Namibia to capture the image.
Equipment used: Custom-built 200/800 Newton astrograph telescope, Astronomik Deep-Sky LRGB filters, Antlia V-Pro LRGB filters and Antlia 3 nm H-alpha bandpass filter, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro and Sky-Watcher EQ6 mounts, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera
800 mm F4, 16.2-hour L, 5.3-hour R, G and B, and 5.6-hour H-alpha exposures
