Amateur astronomer from UK is crowned Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Damian Peach beat hundreds of photographers from around the globe in this year's competition, which is run every year by Greenwich's Royal Observatory and Sky at Night Magazine.

As well as securing the £1,500 top prize, his image takes pride of place in the exhibition of winning photographs opening today at the historic centre for astronomy in Greenwich Park.

The judges were impressed by the incredible detail captured in Peach’s winning shot which depicts the planet along with two of its 64 known moons, Io and Ganymede, showing the surface of the gas giant streaked with colourful bands and dotted with huge oval storms.

Peach captured the shot while in Barbados where the excellent atmospheric clarity allows for exceptionally clear astronomical pictures.

Sir Patrick Moore, who is a judge in the competition, said: “The standard of this year’s entries was first class, as always, but this picture is a very worthy winner against extremely strong competition.”

Winners of the other categories and special prizes include photos of the rich star fields of the Milky Way stretching across a tropical skyline of palm trees by Tunç Tezel from Turkey, the spectacular aftermath of a supernova explosion showing the bright red and blue wispy remnants of the dead star by Italy's Marco Lorenzi and American newcomer Harley Grady’s image of Zodiacal Light reaching into the sky above a barn in Texas.

The Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year accolade was won by 15-year-old Jathin Premjith from India, who impressed the judges with his skilfully executed image of Earth's coppery-red moon taken during a lunar eclipse.

For more information, visit nmm.ac.uk/astrophoto