All of the images you are about to see have won an award in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 contest. The photo above was captured by Mark Hanson, and shows NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula. This cosmic bubble about 25 light-years across shows emission from sulfur, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in the wind-blown nebula in red, green and blue hues. Its central star is classified as a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136) and is burning fuel at a prodigious rate and near the end of its stellar life this star should ultimately go out with a bang in a spectacular supernova explosion. Continue reading for more.
10. “The Turbulent Heart of the Scorpion” – Rolf Wahl Olsen (New Zealand)
9. “Occultation of Jupiter” – Sebastian Guillermaz (Argentina)
8. “The Great Orion Nebula” – Gray Olson (USA)
7. “In-flight Entertainment” – Paul Williams (UK)
6. “What the…!” – Tommy Richardsen (Norway)
5. “Geminid Fireball” – Patrick Cullis (USA)
4. “Centre of the Heart Nebula” – Ivan Eder (Hungary)
3. “Orion Nebula” – Anna Morris (USA)
2. “Star Trails on the Beach” – Sebastian Guillermaz (Argentina)
1. “Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower over Mount Bromo” – Justin Ng (Singapore).
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