Fifteen-year-old Greek photographer Nikos Strimpoulis has been named Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year by the Royal Observatory Greenwich as part of the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2026 awards, according to newsbomb.gr
His winning photograph, titled “Mineral Moon,” offers a highly detailed close-up of the Moon, revealing subtle orange and blue tones across its surface. Strimpoulis captured the image in March 2025 from Paleo Faliro, Greece, using a Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 6-inch telescope and a cooled color astronomy camera.
The photograph highlights the Moon’s dark maria—ancient lava plains—and its brighter highlands, shaped by billions of years of impacts. Notable features include the Mare Serenitatis, Mare Imbrium, and the Montes Apenninus mountain range.
The distinctive colors are linked to mineral deposits containing iron and titanium, giving the image its “Mineral Moon” title.
Strimpoulis received a £1,500 prize and a one-year subscription to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Judge Steve Marsh praised the young photographer for exploring details often overlooked in lunar photography.
Source: newsbomb.gr