About
Astrophotography is one of the most demanding genres of visual art, where success depends not only on compositional intuition but also on a deep understanding of astronomy, optics, data processing, and radiation physics. It is a discipline in which technical precision and artistic expression must go hand in hand.
Every image is the result of a carefully planned imaging strategy—from target selection and integration time calculation to proper calibration and processing that preserves astronomical fidelity. True astrophotography does not merely illustrate the cosmos—it reveals its structure, dynamics, and scale.
Accepted:
- Photographs of astronomical objects: planets of the Solar System, comets, asteroids, galaxies, nebulae (emission, planetary, reflection, and dark), and star clusters (open and globular)
- Close-up images of the Sun (in white light or narrowband emission, e.g., Hα), where the solar disk occupies a significant portion of the frame and is the primary subject
- Wide-field images of the Milky Way (without any terrestrial landscape elements), where the galactic structure is the sole and dominant content of the frame
Not accepted:
- Images of the Moon (Earth’s natural satellite)
- Photographs containing terrestrial landscape elements (mountains, trees, buildings, human silhouettes, etc.)
- Images showing only stars as unresolved points against a dark background, without a clearly identifiable deep-sky object (e.g., galaxy, nebula, or cluster)
- Atmospheric phenomena, including aurorae (northern or southern lights), noctilucent clouds, and other optical effects occurring within Earth’s atmosphere
- Submissions in which the astronomical object cannot be unambiguously identified (e.g., abstract light artifacts, heavily distorted, or entirely synthetic compositions)
