20 Jaw-Dropping Space Photos That Will Make You Say ‘Whoa!’

Astro Landscape finalist Location: Mount Taranaki, New Zealand Evan says: “This colorful 2-panel mosaic shows Comet C/2025 R3 PANSTARRS chilling under Orion’s glow. Shot with a 135mm lens on site, it’s basically space art!”

Aurora finalist Location: Waipapa Point, New Zealand Photographer says: “This southern lights show was so wide, I needed 12 shots to catch it all - and 6 more for the lighthouse. Talk about expansive!”

Astro Landscape finalist Where: Betlejemka, Poland The scoop: “Shot at the Polish Alpine Association’s training center, catching the winter Milky Way and Orion during the Geminid meteor peak. Stellar!”

Astro Landscape finalist Spot: Rub' al-Khali Desert, UAE From Matteo: “A show-stopper panorama framing a lone figure between timeless dunes and the cosmic Milky Way. Deep vibes and deep space.”

Aurora finalist Location: Lofoten Islands, Norway Jason caught: “A single green ribbon of Aurora Borealis drifting over moonlit mountains, all perfectly mirrored in the calm water beneath.”

Aurora finalist Where: Senja Island, Norway Matteo shares: “Northern Lights boogying above mountain peaks and a calm river - with a fiery comet streaking by for extra wow factor.”

Deep Space finalist Location: Austria Damian says: “Check out LDN 1295 - a dark nebula in Cassiopeia shaped like a giraffe chilling against the Milky Way background. Space safari, anyone?”

Deep Space finalist Location: Australia Troy’s take: “Orion is bursting with new star births. I stitched together several images to get every bright nebula and twinkle just right. It was a tough but fun puzzle!”

Aurora winner Spot: Å, Lofoten Islands, Norway Jason says: “The Aurora Borealis was totally showing off above the mountains, its green glow dancing and reflecting in the calm fjord waters below. Incredible light show!”

Remote Imaging finalist Location: New Mexico, USA Kevin’s note: “I didn’t hide bright Alnilam here - instead, I made it the star of the show, surrounded by cool glowing, reflecting, and dark nebulae. Bright and mysterious!”

Remote Imaging finalist Location: Chile Kevin explains: “This complex far away is packed with stars and nebulae. I wanted to show how young stars carve out space like a sculptor, making a Rosette-like shape in the Large Magellanic Cloud.”

Remote Imaging finalist Where: Chile Kevin says: “The orangish reflection nebula was a cool surprise, complete with an Ha shell that plays peekaboo with nearby dust - both behind and in front. It’s like layers of cosmic art.”

Astrophotographer of the Year & Astro Landscape winner Location: Cathedral Cove, New Zealand Evan did this 24-panel mosaic timed perfectly during moonrise. It’s like catching the night sky’s grand finale before the moon steals the show. Pure magic.

Aurora finalist Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Yu Li caught this emerald aurora with wings framing the Big Dipper stars - like nature’s own spotlight on the night sky. Talk about star power.

Deep Space winner Location: Namibia Marzena caught this mysterious band of tiny dust streams lit up by blue nebulae. It’s like space smoke swirling around in the constellation Chamaeleon.

Deep Space finalist Location: Poland Mateusz points out that this huge and faint remnant covers almost six full moons in the sky! It lives between Auriga and Perseus constellations. Space is wild.

Remote Imaging winner Location: Sichuan, China Alpha’s shot shows a faint hydrogen veil lit up by dust and tiny galaxies, teasing viewers with what’s out there beyond the bright stuff. It’s like a finger pointing into space mystery.

Astro Landscape finalist Location: Arizona, USA Jason captured the sky arching perfectly above the Wave sandstone formation, making you feel like you’re surfing on stars instead of water.

Remote Imaging finalist Location: Chile Kevin stacked a little bit of everything here - globular clusters, reflection nebulae, dark dust clouds, and some cool Herbig-Haro objects that glow thanks to that Ha magic. Basically, it’s got it all.

Getaway Award winner Location: North Carolina, USA Brian shares: “LDN 1251, aka the Rotten Fish Nebula, is a moody cloud of brown dust in Cepheus. Took me over 19 hours to get this backyard space masterpiece!”