The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winner of its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition for an image of the Shark Nebula.
The dark nebula is made from interstellar dust dense enough to block starlight and is 650 light years away.
Steve Marsh, one of the judges and art editor at BBC Sky at Night Magazine, said the image by Ali Alobaidly showed “flawless presentation, pin-sharp details and dynamic contrast”.
He added: “The Shark Nebula is already a striking object, but when it is resolved to the point where even detail-rich distant galaxies can be seen through it, you know you’re looking at something very special.”
Alobaidly, who won £10,000 for winning the competition overall, said he hoped to use his photographs “to make astronomy more accessible, engaging and meaningful through science communication and education”, and described the award as a “tremendous honour”.
For the 2026 competition there were almost 4,000 entries from 66 countries.
Alobaidly’s entry, taken in Kuwait, was entered in the Stars and Nebulae category.
