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August 3, 2023
“Is There Anybody Out There?”
Image credit: Aaron Hawkins
These cracker astronomical images were chosen for this year’s David Malin Awards.
In July 2023, the Central West Astronomical Society held its annual astrophotography competition. Amateur astronomers and photographers from around Australia entered the competition, submitting their astrophotographs for consideration in the prestigious David Malin Awards.
According to Dr David Malin, renowned astronomy photographer, good astronomy photographs – or astrophotos – are tricky to take.
“Unlike everyday photographs, astro photos are sometimes of objects too faint to be seen by the human eye, even with a powerful telescope,” says David.
How to capture the sky
David says that although digital enhancement is almost always necessary, a good astrophoto should still appear natural after these edits.
Since the awards began almost 20 years ago, David says he has observed their effect among Australian astronomers.
“The awards have been going for over a decade now, and I can confidently say they have contributed to the imaging skills of the Australian amateur astronomy community,” says David.
“Australians are always conspicuous in international competitions and are often awarded.”
David says what makes a good astrophoto is how eye-catching it is at an initial glance, how interesting the content remains on closer inspection, and also the degree of difficulty that was involved in creating it – which David says can be considerable.
Related: AG Nature Photographer of the Year 2022: Astrophotography shortlist
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