The image he took shows the evolution of Baily’s beads during the annular eclipse.
Baily’s beads are created when sunlight enters the Moon’s craters and valleys; they are only momentarily visible at the start or finish of an eclipse.
One of the judges, meteorologist Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, described the winning photo as a “impressive dissection of the fleeting few seconds” when Baily’s beads are visible.
“This image left me captivated and amazed,” she said.
As the competition’s overall winner, Mr. Imperio took home £10,000, saying he “never expected to be selected” and was “both thrilled and honoured” to receive the award.
More than 3,500 entries from 58 nations were received for the competition in 2024.
Mr. Imperio’s work was also chosen as one of the winners for the competition’s Our Sun category.
Daniel Borsari took up the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year prize for his shot “NGC NGC 1499, A Dusty California”.
The California Nebula, sometimes referred to as NGC 1499, is an emission nebula located in the Perseus constellation.
The nebula was photographed in numerous exposures and composited into the final image.
It is located approximately 1,000 light years away from Earth and is observable because the massive blue star Persei has ionized gasses around it.
Artist and prize judge Neal White claimed that Mr. Borsari’s picture represented “the future.”
