Dong Shuchang, a 23-year-old photographer from Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was crowned the overall winner as the Astronomy Photographer of the Year in mid-September for his photograph “The Golden Ring,” becoming the youngest winner of the top photography competition in astronomy. This masterpiece was captured in Ali, Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region last year. It shows the moon blocking out most of the solar disc and leaving only a thin ring of sunlight shining through. Hosted by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the competition received 4,500 entries from 75 countries and regions. Dong’s image also won in the competition’s “Our Sun” category. Dong started to prepare for the trip to take the shots toward the end of 2019. “In fact, I had everything covered in my head,” says the 23-year-old, adding that he figured all he had to do was open the camera and press the shutter. However, that didn’t go as he expected. The COVID-19 pandemic put a brake on his plans in early 2020. “All of a sudden, everything became uncertain.” Thanks to the effective pandemic control in China, Dong moved with his plan in the middle of last year. Emily Drabek-Maunder, who is an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, says, “Solar eclipses have been capturing the interest of humans for thousands of years across the world. This image demonstrates both the beauty and simplicity of an eclipse, but also the science behind this astronomical event. “Our sun can still be seen as a ring circling the moon as it passes in front of the sun, and mountains on the lunar surface can be seen hiding some of this light on the lower right-hand portion of the image. This is a stunning achievement.” “Astronomy photography enables me to record details that are usually missed by the naked eye,” Dong says. He adds that when he uses telephoto lens to take photos, he can see, for example, the details of the Milky Way, as well as its red, green and blue colors that “can be brought into sharp relief through photography.” Such photography prompted Dong to acquire knowledge of the field. “I got to know how temperature and air composition can result in different star colors, such as blue and yellow that are shown in the images,” he says. He threw his hat in the ring of the 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. “It was well-known to people in the circle, so I wanted to put my skills to test through it.” Dong’s self-confidence got a shot in the arm after winning the best newcomer award with his work, “Sky and Ground, Stars and Sand.” Dong says more than three years of chasing the stars has brought excitement and accomplishment in his life, although the process was often mixed with sweat and tears. Speaking about his future plan, Dong says he will explore new photography fields and better ways to integrate science and art. (SD-Agencies) | 