An “incredible” {photograph} capturing the Milky Way above the South Downs has been topped the winner of the nationwide park’s annual astro-photography competitors. The contest, which drew greater than 130 entrants, was held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the park’s designation as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
The prime prize was awarded to Michael Harris for his placing picture, “Ancient Light,” which fantastically frames the Milky Way over an deserted barn in Balsdean Valley, close to Brighton, East Sussex. Dan Oakley, a darkish skies professional and astro-photographer who served as a choose, praised the shot, stating: “I think this is an incredible and realistic photo of what the South Downs Dark Skies experience is. It’s beautifully framed.”
Mr Harris, from Brighton, mirrored on the historic significance of his chosen location. He famous: “The site has had a long history with Roman occupation, as a medieval hamlet, use as accommodation during the Second World War and for farming. All of which have long since come and gone in the time it has taken for the light from the Milky Way above to reach us, which is approximately 26,000 years.”
In the “Life At Night” class, Richard Murray’s {photograph}, “Snail Trail To The Stars,” depicting a snail beneath The Plough asterism, took first place. Judge Elinor Newman, who organises the nationwide park’s Dark Skies Festival, which runs till 22 February, commented: “This really does encapsulate life at night, with the snail, flora and lichen. The image has incredible detail, captures a moment and takes me to another place. A very inspiring image.”
Mr Murray, from Waterlooville, described the meticulous effort behind his profitable shot: “The shot took a lot of patience and a surprising amount of suspense, waiting for the exact moment when my tiny, mucus-powered model lifted both antennae toward the cosmos above. Eventually, the stars, the snail, and the timing all lined up and I got the shot I’d been hoping for.”
The new “South Downs To Deep Space” class was gained by Nigel Stanbury, of Haslemere, Surrey, for his picture titled “Jellyfish Nebula,” which captures a supernova situated 5,000 gentle years away. Mr Oakley remarked: “It looks like a jellyfish, but it’s not, it’s the remains of an exploding star. It looks straight out of Star Trek.”
Mr Stanbury elaborated on his topic: “The image is of the so-called Jellyfish nebula located in the constellation of Gemini, the twins. It is the remains of a star larger than our sun, that exploded as a supernova many thousands of years ago, blowing off a cloud of gas that has been expanding ever since and glows as it collides with surrounding gas and dust. The image was taken over three nights, and needed 22 hours of exposure to bring out the colours and show the finer details of the faint structure. It has taken light 5,000 years to reach us so the image shows the object as it appeared 5,000 years ago.”
Further particulars on different winners and the continuing Dark Skies Festival might be discovered at southdowns.gov.uk/dark-skies-hub/dark-skies-festival/.