© Xin Feng and Miao Gong

Category winner

Dolphin Head Nebula by Xin Feng and Miao Gong

"SH2-308 (the Dolphin Head Nebula) is at a low angle and can only be shot for five hours a day," explain the photographers. "This image comprises a total of 10 days of shooting and post-processing with PixInsight. The overall effect is quite satisfactory; the main body of the nebula and the background stellar wind are both prominent."

Taken in Ruoergai County, Aba County, Sichuan Province, China, 6 and 16 January 2024

See the full shortlist

See the full shortlist

1 / 11
Starlight Baptism

Shanghai, China, 7 December 2023

© Yunlai Zou

 

2 / 11
Inverted Moon

Shanghai, China, 29 September 2023

© Yunlai Zou

3 / 11
Dancing Sirius

Siping City, Jilin Province, China, 26 January 2024

© Yunlai Zou

4 / 11
SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula

Ruoergai County, Aba County, Sichuan Province, China, 6 and 16 January 2024

© Xin Feng and Miao Gong

5 / 11
M45: the Pleiades in Contrast

Ruoergai County, Aba County, Sichuan Province, China, 19 and 21 November 2023

© Xin Feng

6 / 11
M31: the Andromeda Galaxy

Kungälv, Västra Götaland, Sweden, 6 and 7 January 2024

© Lukas Blomqvist

7 / 11
Starry Night's Embrace for Withered Wood

Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, 14 December 2023

© 孙 庆瑶

8 / 11
Eruption in Eternity: the Carina Nebula

Hillcrest, Queensland, Australia, 24–26 and 31 January, 1–3 February 2024

© Rod Prazeres

9 / 11
Galactic Blossom: the Rosette Nebula in Cosmic Colours

Hillcrest, Queensland, Australia, 19, 22 and 23 December 2023

© Rod Prazeres

10 / 11
IC 2169, a Reflection Nebula

Shangri-La City, Yunnan Province, China, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14 January 2024

© Haohui Zhang

11 / 11
The Blue Details of M45: the Pleiades

AstroCamp Nerpio, Albatece, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, 15 and 16 December 2023

© Sándor Biliczki

Never miss a shooting star

Sign up to our space newsletter for exclusive astronomy news, guides and events from Royal Museums Greenwich.

Sign up

Explore more categories

Overall winners

The winning images in the world's biggest space photography competition have been revealed

Galaxies

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Galaxies category

Skyscapes

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Skyscapes category

Our Sun

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Our Sun category

Our Moon

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Our Moon category

Aurorae

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Aurorae category

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Planets, Comets and Asteroids category

People and Space

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 People and Space category

Stars and Nebulae

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Stars and Nebulae category

Young Competition

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Young Competition

Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation

See the stunning winning and shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation category

Visit the exhibition

See the world's greatest space photography at the National Maritime Museum
Find out more

Our partners