Comet Leonard passed close to Earth shortly after being detected in 2021. It is now outside the Solar System.
Austrian Gerald Rhemann, who took the first photo, said he didn’t expect to see the comet’s tail split.
“This is the pinnacle of my photographic career, I’m so happy I shot this,” Rhemann told the BBC.
The first shot was taken in an observatory in Namibia on Christmas Day 2021.
Astronomer Ed Bloomer described the photo as “one of the best comet images ever taken”.
The Royal Observatory of Greenwich in London described the winning photo as “captivating”.
It was noted that the jury reviewed more than 3,000 photos from around the world this year.
The Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award went to two 14-year-old boys from the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
The children worked together to photograph the Andromeda Galaxy.
The Young Astronomy Photographer award is given to children under 16.
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