Incredible picture of the Milky Way wins photography competition

An "incredible" photograph capturing the Milky Way above the South Downs has been crowned the winner of the national park’s annual astro-photography competition. The contest, which drew more than 130 entrants, was held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the park’s designation as an International Dark Sky Reserve.

The top prize was awarded to Michael Harris for his striking image, "Ancient Light," which beautifully frames the Milky Way over an abandoned barn in Balsdean Valley, near Brighton, East Sussex. Dan Oakley, a dark skies expert and astro-photographer who served as a judge, 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."

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Mr Harris, from Brighton, reflected on the historical significance of his chosen location. He noted: "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" category, 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 national park’s Dark Skies Festival, which runs until 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."

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Mr Murray, from Waterlooville, described the meticulous effort behind his winning 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" category was won by Nigel Stanbury, of Haslemere, Surrey, for his image titled "Jellyfish Nebula," which captures a supernova located 5,000 light 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."

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Mr Stanbury elaborated on his subject: "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 details on other winners and the ongoing Dark Skies Festival can be found at southdowns.gov.uk/dark-skies-hub/dark-skies-festival/.