Hungarian photographer László Francsics’ composite image of a total lunar eclipse was declared winner of the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 and is now on display at a special exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
The winning image is a composition of 35 phases of the total lunar eclipse that occurred on 21 January 2019 as seen from Budapest, Hungary. The sequences were taken with 3-minute gaps using a pre-programmed shutter remote. They were stacked onto each other using the faint background stars as a guide.
“For a single multiple-exposure image to capture this event with such positional precision, creative innovation and beauty is nothing short of masterful,” said Ed Robinson, one of the competition judges. “The colours of our atmosphere projected onto the Moon’s disc during the eclipse are not only artistically pleasing but also offer an understanding of such events.”
The Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year is now in its eleventh year and this year received a record number of over 4,600 entries. The winning images, runners-up and those highly commended – are showcased alongside a remarkable selection of 68 shortlisted images in the exhibition which runs until 26 April 2020. Visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website for full details.