2011 Olympus BioScapes winners (special photography)

The 2011 Olympus BioScapes competition brings the beauty of micro-organisms out of the lab. Here is a gallery of our favourite images from the contest, including petite plankton, dinky Drosophila and miniscule mould spores.

Strawberry ovaries (click to enlarge image)

 These fruit-fly ovaries look almost like strawberries hanging from a vine due to the background staining, which has coloured them red. Gunnar Newquist of the University of Nevada, Reno, took seventh place with this image, which highlights the muscular and neural structure of the Drosophila melanogaster reproductive system through fluorescence microscopy.

(Image: Gunnar Newquist)

Hairy wheels (click to enlarge image)

 The fast-moving cilia, or hairs, that give this rotifer – "wheel bearer" – the illusion of rotating wheels are frozen in time in this winning image from the 2011 Olympus BioScapes competition. The cilia on the lobes of the rotifer Floscularia ringens gather food particles from the surrounding water and direct them toward its mouth. Charles Krebs of Issaquah, Washington, used a technique called differential interference contrast microscopy to make this image of the creature sitting in a self-made tube constructed from detritus.
(Image: Charles Krebs)

Art or amoeba? (click to enlarge image)

It's hard to imagine a skeleton that looks as beautiful as the single-celled radiolarian does in this image, which received honourable mention. The picture, created by Christopher Jackson of Bern, Switzerland, captures the mobile amoeba's mineral skeleton through the bright-field imaging technique with extended depth of field. These protozoans are found throughout the ocean and their skeletons cover the ocean floor, making up radiolarian ooze.
(Image: Christopher B. Jackson)

Grass cut (click to enlarge image)

 A cross-section of a marsh grass of the genus Juncus is shown here emitting light naturally in a process called autofluorescence. The chlorophyll on the outside of the leaf can be seen in red in the image, which was shot by Jan Martinek of the Czech Republic. The vascular bundles – structures that transport water and minerals through the plant – are shown in blue. This image also received honourable mention in the competition.
(Image: Jan Martinek)

Fluorescent fungus (click to enlarge image)

 Slime mould is no ordinary mould - it's a fungus that also has animal genes. Although they possess no nervous system, slime moulds have been shown to navigate mazes and communicate with one another. The spores of the slime mould Physarum leucophaeum are seen here in a fluorescent micrograph from Dalibor Matýsek of VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. His image received honourable mention and shows off the beautiful patterns and structures of this strange creature.
(Image: Dalibor Matýsek)

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Special Photography/ British Nature Awards 2011

Animal Behavior: "Grey Heron Walking on Water"

Photograph courtesy Andrew Parkinson, BWPA

In the winning photo in the "Animal Behavior" category, a grey heron dances across a lake in Derbyshire, England.

"It was dawn at a secluded fishing lake when this heron suddenly plunged, osprey-like, into the middle of the lake, emerging moments later with a fish," photographer Andrew Parkinson said.

"This image captures the moment that it powered out of the water and took flight."

Urban Wildlife: "Champagne Starling"

Photograph courtesy David Biggs, BWPA

Starlings burst like bubbles from a tree near Shropshire, England, in a picture that earned top honors in the photo contest's "Urban Wildlife" category.

Photographer David Biggs described his experience in a statement: "A roost of starlings flew into a group of trees behind my house. I quickly grabbed my camera, stood on top of the garden furniture, and started to photograph these wonderful creatures.

"The birds finally settled, and then there was silence until something spooked them and the tree burst into life. As they left, I shed a tear."

Living Landscapes: "Llyn Idwal—War and Peace"

Photograph courtesy Graham Eaton, BWPA

Welsh mountain peaks known as the Devil's Kitchen tower above the algae-filled waters of Llyn Idwal in a split-level picture, the winner of the "Living Landscapes" category.

Young Photographer: "Fox Yawning"

Photograph courtesy Oliver Wilks, BWPA

Oliver Wilks, 16, captured this picture of a red fox awakening on a sunny October afternoon in Sussex, England.

Wilks—winner of one of the Young British Wildlife Photographer awards—recalled waiting patiently for the fox to wake up.

"He did, and I captured in this shot the moment when he showed me his brilliant white teeth as he yawned and stretched," Wilks said.

"I think the autumnal lighting complements the red of the fox, giving great warmth and depth to the image."

Urban Wildlife: "Tabby Cat with Blackbird"

Photograph courtesy Doug Mackenzie Dodds, BWPA

A domestic cat carries its nestling prey in Berkshire, England, in a highly commended picture in the "Urban Wildlife" category.

"verall, we were "delighted to see how many people from around the U.K. were inspired by the competition to explore nature in their local area," said judge Paul Wilkinson of the U.K. nonprofit The Wildlife Trusts.

Coast and Marine: "Grey Seal Beneath Cliffs"

Photograph courtesy Alexander Mustard, BWPA

A grey seal seems to greet photographer Alexander Mustard near Devon, England, in a highly commended picture in the contest's "Coast and Marine" category.

Pictures from the British Wildlife Photography Awards and other award-winning photographs will be featured during the first WildlifeXpo, an art exhibition that will take place between October 14 and 28 at London's Alexandra Palace.

Seasons: "Summer Insects"

Photograph courtesy Ross Hoddinott, BWPA

On a summer morning in Devon, England, photographer Ross Hoddinott captured a marbled white butterfly resting on grass-a shot that earned him top honors in the photo contest's "Seasons" category.

"Backlighting highlighted the markings and translucency of its wings," Hoddinott noted.

Portraits: "Mystical Mist"

Photograph courtesy Mark Smith, BWPA

A fallow deer seems to pose for the camera in Surrey, England, in the picture that won the "Portraits" category for the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards.

"I love photographing deer in the autumn, and a forecast of mist just makes me even more eager to get out photographing them," said winner Mark Smith.

"I heard this deer before I saw it, and using the mist and wind direction as cover, I managed to get in place with [the] tripod set up before he knew I was there. I was able to get a few shots before he slowly ambled off into the mist in the background."

Documentary Series: "It's Only a Game"

Photograph courtesy Neil Aldridge, BWPA

This picture of a pheasant lying dead in an English forest is part of the winning documentary series in the 2011 British photo contest.

"Although I don't shoot, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to photograph one of Britain's traditional country 'sports,'" photographer Neil Aldridge said.

"Opinions on country shoots are polarised. Many lament the control of indigenous species to protect this pastime. Others claim shooting plays a role in conservation.

"It's true that country pursuits like shooting played a major role in saving the last fragments of Britain's woodland. To me, it shows Britain's long and strange relationship with nature."

Room With a View

Photograph courtesy NASA

NASA astronaut Mike Fossum gazes through a window in the "cupola"—an observation module on the International Space Station—on September 11. Earth's horizon interrupts the blackness of space at the top of the frame.

With the recent return to Earth of three ISS crew members, Fossum is currently one of three people still aboard the orbiting laboratory. A new trio of spacefarers is slated to launch for the ISS on November 14, rounding out the Expedition 29 crew.

Overall Winner: "Jellyfish in the Blue Sea"

Photograph courtesy Richard Shucksmith, BWPA

A brilliantly colored jellyfish illuminates the depths near the tiny Scottish island of Sula Sgeir in the winning picture from the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards, announced this week.

Photographer Richard Shucksmith's "truly beautiful shot of a jellyfish ... perfectly captures its iridescent colours and magical qualities," Greg Armfield, photography and film manager for WWF, said in a statement. The nonprofit is a sponsor of this year's competition, along with a mix of other nonprofits, companies, and government organizations.

"All the more remarkable that it exists in U.K. waters. Fantastic," Armfield added of the jelly.

The annual awards, created in 2009, recognize talented amateur and professional photographers while highlighting the wealth and diversity of British nature. The competition is open to all nationalities, but the subject matter must be in the United Kingdom, which includes Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

A panel of professional photography experts selected winning pictures in ten categories based on technical skill, diversity, originality, and creativity of composition.

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The 2011 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winning Photos

The winners of the 2011 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition snapped some incredible images: astronomical objects from within our solar system and far into deep space.

“This competition provides a great opportunity to celebrate the best astrophotography in the past year and to share these gorgeous, inspiring images with a large audience”, said Olivia Johnson, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory and also a judge in the competition.

Source: National Maritime Museum

Earth & Space Winner (Overall Winner)

Galactic Paradise -- Forming a dramatic backdrop to a tropical skyline, the Milky Way galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars in a disc-like structure. Our Sun lies within the disc, about two-thirds of the way out from the centre, so we see it as a bright band encircling the sky. This southern hemisphere view highlights dark clouds of dust that aboriginal Australian astronomers called the ‘Emu in the sky’.

Source: Tunç Tezel (Turkey)

Earth & Space Runner-Up

Divine Presence -- The aurorae, or Northern and Southern Lights, are caused by the interaction between the Earth’s atmosphere and a stream of particles from the Sun known as the solar wind. The Earth’s magnetic field funnels these particles down over the planet’s poles giving rise to the glowing curtains of coloured light. These are best seen in the night sky near to the North and South Poles.

Source: Ole C. Salomonsen (Norway)

Our Solar System Winner

Jupiter with lo and Ganymede -- Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a giant ball of gas with no solid surface, streaked with colourful bands of clouds and dotted with huge oval storms.

In addition to the swirling clouds and storms in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, surface features of two of the planet’s largest moons can be seen in this remarkably detailed montage. Io, to the lower left, is the closest to Jupiter. The most geologically active object in the Solar System, its red-orange hue comes from sulphurous lava flows. Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, is composed of rock and water ice. The Planet and its moons have been photographed separately, then brought together to form this composite image.

Source: Damian Peach (UK)

Our Solar System Runner-Up

Dragon Storm -- Saturn, the second largest planet in the Solar System, is best known for its brilliant rings. These rings are made up of countless ice and dust particles orbiting the planet in intricate patterns, some of which can be seen in this series of photographs. Taken about forty minutes apart, these images show the progress of a huge storm, called the Dragon Storm, moving in Saturn’s upper atmosphere as the planet rotates.

Source: Paul Haese (Australia)

Deep Space Winner

Vela Supernova Remnant -- This intricate structure is the aftermath of a supernova explosion, the violent death of a star many times more massive than the Sun. It took place over 10,000 years ago. Seen against stars and gas in the disc of our Milky Way , this expanding shell of debris and heated gas now covers an area of the sky which is twenty times wider than the disc of the full Moon.

Source: Marco Lorenzi (Italy)

Deep Space Runner-Up

Leo Triplet -- The Leo Triplet is a group of three spiral galaxies located thirty-five million light years away. Like our own Milky Way, they are disc-like galaxies. They contain billions of stars with bright knots of gas and dark dusty lanes, which trace spiral patterns where new stars are formed. The galaxy on the left is seen edge-on, as we view our own galaxy.

Source: Edward Henry (USA)

Young Winner (Age: 15)

Lunar Eclipse and Occultation -- A lunar eclipse is a brief alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon which places the Moon in the Earth’s shadow. Here the Moon is a red colour because it is lit by sunlight which has been filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere. The photograph skilfully captures a second fleeting astronomical event, the moment a star appears from behind the orbiting Moon.

Source: Jathin Premjith (India)

(Age: 15)

Starry Night Sky -- Most stars, like the Sun, appear to move across the sky from east to west as the Earth spins on its axis every twenty-four hours. This long-exposure photograph captures the apparent motion of the stars that seem to circle the area in the sky over the Earth’s North Pole close to the Pole Star.

Source: Nicole Sullivan (USA)

Best Newcomer Winner

Zodiacal Light on the Farm -- The faint glow reaching into the sky from the horizon to the right of the barn in this scene is known as zodiacal light. Visible only in extremely dark skies, it results from sunlight reflecting off dust particles in our Solar System.

Source: Harley Grady (USA)

People & Space Winner

Stargazing -- In remote locations, dark skies make it is possible to see thousands of stars using just your eyes. When the sky is lite by the Sun, Moon or artificial lights on Earth, it blocks the view of all but the brightest stars..

Source: Jeffrey Sullivan (USA)

Special Prize, Robotic Scope Winner

Shell Galaxies (NGC474 and NGC467) -- In the upper left of this photograph, faint billowing shapes can be seen in the outer regions of an elliptical galaxy. Elliptical galaxies, which can contain up to a trillion stars, are typically smooth and shaped like a rugby ball. The delicate wispy sheets seen in this galaxy may result from its gravitational interaction with the nearby spiral galaxy to the right.

Source: Marco Lorenzi

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