Author: natalie

The universe is teeming with stunning wonders, most of which unfortunately cannot be seen in their full glory with the naked eye. Thankfully, though, we have astronomy photographers and their cameras to help us take it all in. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, hosted by the U.K.’s Royal Observatory Greenwich, showcases the best of the best in the field, and the 2022 winners do not disappoint.

This year’s winner is Gerald Rhemann, whose shot of the Comet Leonard’s gas tail is pictured above. He took the photo from Khomas, Namibia, last December, capturing a rare image of the comet as it made its closest pass to date and left our solar system for good — meaning it won’t be seen from Earth ever again. The competition’s judges voted unanimously to give the picture the top spot.  

“This award is one of the highlights of my astrophotography work,” Rhemann said in a press release shared with Nice News. “All the effort that went into making this image a success was worth it.” 

Scroll down to see the rest of the winning shots, all of which are also currently on display at the National Maritime Museum in London. 

Skyscapes

Here, photographer Zihui Hu captures Namcha Barwa, described in the release as “the most beautiful snow-capped mountain in China.” Judge Sheila Kanani said: “I love the juxtaposition of the star trails against the clear peak of the mountain. The motion of the clouds adds to the drama.” 

People & Space

Taken from Arizona in January, this image shows the International Space Station positioned above the Apollo 11 moon landing site. According to the Royal Observatory, photographer Andrew McCarthy only had “a handful of milliseconds” to get the perfect shot. “The symbol of man, the tiny silhouette of the ISS, is dwarfed by the vast and detailed lunar surface, coloured by mineral deposits. It shows us just how fragile we are,” said judge László Francsics, while Melissa Brobby added, “This is a wonderfully original take on this category and it reminds us that we live in a time when humans have a permanent presence in space.” 

Aurorae

The northern lights, or Aurora Borealis, are on full display here. Though the natural phenomenon is usually best seen in the winter, Filip Hrebenda took the photo from Hvalnes, Iceland, in late spring. “I love this photo because it really sums up aurorae for me: the green ‘swoosh’ reflected in the icy lake, the clarity of the edges of the ice blocks and the looming shadow of the mountain,” said judge Kanani. 

Galaxies

This picture taken in Pie Town, New Mexico, is actually three different versions of the same shot — “a muted version for the background, a regular version for the disc, and a super-stretched starless version for the stellar streams and halo” — that were combined into one. “The Sombrero is a well documented galaxy, yet astrophotographers still find ways to tease more majesty from it,” judge Steve Marsh shared. “To see the misty remnants of previous collisions surrounding the galaxy, itself floating alone in the void, is just exquisite.”  

Our Moon

We all know what the moon looks like generally, but photos like this one offer a whole new perspective. “This close-up of the Plato crater has become one of my favorite photographs of the moon. This image of the east rim being hit by the Sun’s rays is wondrously unique and proves that, no matter how often we look at the moon, it always has many more wonderful sights for us to observe,” Brobby said. Marsh added: “I never tire of looking at craters on the moon, but this shot of Plato took my breath away with its long, sweeping shadows. If you consider the length and scale of those shadows and the mountains that create them, this image really is a deserving winner.” 

Our Sun

Soumyadeep Mukherjee shot the sun for 365 days between December 25, 2020 and December 31, 2021, missing only six days during the entire period. He then blended the images to create the masterpiece above. “The commitment and diligence (not to mention luck) needed to image the Sun every day for a year is a feat within itself,” said Marsh. “But, more than just a matter of hard work, this photographer has achieved a fascinating and unique look at the progression of sunspot bands across its disc.”

Stars & Nebulae

The vibrant nebula pictured here has several names — the Helix Nebula, NGC 7293, or, most colloquially, the Eye of God. Judge Imad Ahmed commented: “The colors in this photograph make for a stunning composition — from the fiery red to the defiant, moody blue at the center of the ‘eye’. It’s easy to see how the ancients used to stargaze into the heavens and imagine that the cosmos was looking back, keeping a watchful eye over us.” 

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Astronomy photography has no age requirement: This picture of the Andromeda Galaxy — the most distant object the human eye can see — was taken by two 14-year-old boys, Yang Hanwen and Zhou Zezhen. “From the dark dust lanes to the HII regions, this young photographer has expertly [brought] out the galaxy’s stunning details to produce a vibrant image,” Brobby said. “One of my favorite pictures from the competition!” 

The Annie Maunder Prize for Digital Innovation

Pauline Woolley created an innovative piece of art using 26 images of the sun, layering them to create rings that form an “imaginary solar tree” to visualize the passage of time. Hannah Lyons, assistant curator of art at Royal Museums Greenwich explained: “Dendrochronology — the scientific method of calculating dates based on tree rings — is used by art historians and conservators to date wood panel paintings, but here the technology has been utilized to create an unusual and beautiful composition. This is an innovative photograph that immediately astonished all the judges.”

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

Lun Deng captured the Milky Way poised above the highest peak in Sichuan, China, the Minya Konka Mountain, in the early morning hours. “The icy, ragged mountaintop is contrasted beautifully with the Milky Way, the lighter pink and indigo hues of which offer us a mesmerizing, warm glow,” Ahmed said. “I also have to commend the photographer’s dedication — standing in the snow in freezing conditions — to capture this picture!”

Legions of sleepless new parents can attest to their willingness to try nearly every and any trick in the book when it comes to lulling a crying baby back to sleep. Talking soothingly to the infant, singing, bouncing, providing gentle back rubs, or even getting in the car in the middle of the night and going for a drive around the block are all time-honored approaches.

But a new research study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology, has found that a combination of two simple moves — walking while carrying and then sitting with the baby before putting them to bed — may be the magic combination for providing comfort and calm in such a situation. 

It was determined that five minutes of walking with an infant (as opposed to simply holding or rocking while otherwise standing still) triggers a “transport response” that soothes and comforts them, and then sitting and holding the baby for five to eight minutes could often prevent them from being too easily startled awake again when finally being placed back in their crib or bed. 

In the study, the reactions of 21 infants were compared when engaging in four different movements: (1) infants were held by their mothers while the mothers walked, (2) infants were held while their mothers sat, (3) infants were laid in a cot, and (4) infants were placed in a mobile crib or stroller while applying reciprocal motion (rocking). Studying the effects of holding and motion in various combinations eventually led to the discovery of the most consistently effective sequence, described above. 

Other combinations were less consistent in their effectiveness. A mother walking with her baby and then placing it immediately back in its bed, without sitting first, resulted in one out of three babies awakening again. Babies also frequently continued to cry if they were held while sitting, without having been carried by their walking mother first.

One of the study’s co-authors, Dr. Kumi Kuroda — herself a mother — admitted to being surprised by the results of the study. Initially, she believed that babies awakening while in the process of being laid down “is related to how they’re put on the bed, such as their posture, or the gentleness of the movement,” Kuroda said in a statement, per USA Today. “But our experiment did not support these general assumptions.”

Of course, there’s no one approach that’s 100% effective for every baby in every circumstance, and as is often the case for new parents, a series of often frustrating trials and sleepless nights will invariably remain part of the process. Adhering to other standard recommendations — like putting babies to bed when they’re drowsy but before they’ve actually fallen asleep, or keeping babies stimulated and awake longer during the day — can still be considered solid strategies, as outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other expert sources.

While the initial results of this walking-and-sitting “science-based parenting” technique appear promising, further study is required to clarify whether this approach will prove effective over the long term. But for scores of new parents desperate for some zzz’s, there’s little to be lost in giving the seemingly magical maneuver a try.