Kuwaiti photographer Ali Alobaidly won the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition with “The Quiet Predator,” an image of the Shark Nebula, also known as LDN 1235. The dark nebula lies about 650 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus and consists of interstellar dust dense enough to block starlight. Its blue regions are reflection nebulae [bbc.co.uk][livescience.com][newscientist.com][physicsworld.com]. Alobaidly captured the image in Kuwait’s Jahra Governorate over two nights in August 2025 [arabtimesonline.com]. Nearly 4,000 entries from 66 countries were submitted for the 18th annual competition, and the overall winner received £10,000 [bbc.co.uk]. The accompanying exhibition opens at London’s National Maritime Museum on September 18, 2026 [arabtimesonline.com]. Highlights: • Young winner: Nikolaos Strimpoulis, 15, won the young photographer category for “Mineral Moon,” which he photographed in Palaio Faliro, Athens [bbc.co.uk]. • Competition range: Prize-winning images depicted auroras, planets, the Moon, the Sun and distant nebulae across the competition’s categories [newscientist.com][videnskab.dk]. • Runner-up image: Kfir Simon’s “Beyond the Wormhole” won second place and depicts the centre of the Helix Nebula in Aquarius [newscientist.com]. • Judges’ assessment: Judge Steve Marsh praised the winning photograph for its “flawless presentation, pin-sharp details and dynamic contrast” [bbc.co.uk]. Perspectives: Ali Alobaidly: Alobaidly said he hoped to use his photographs to make astronomy more accessible through science communication and education [bbc.co.uk]. (BBC) Royal Observatory Greenwich judges: Judge Steve Marsh said the image’s resolution was high enough for detail-rich distant galaxies to be visible through the nebula [bbc.co.uk]. (BBC) ZWO: ZWO chief executive Sam Wen described the photograph as a combination of technical execution, artistic composition and an unusual view of a rarely photographed nebula [physicsworld.com]. (Physics World) "The juxtaposition of an oceanic predator prowling the skies above the Kuwaiti desert is something I find deeply poetic, and it is what first drew me to this remarkable region of the sky." — Ali Alobaidly Sources: • Wondrous Winners of the 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year - mymodernmet.com - google.com • Nebula image wins Royal Observatory competition - bbc.co.uk • A space shark, 'royal' auroras and a 'Venusian pearl': See the winners of the 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest - livescience.com • The 31 Out-of-this-World Winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year - PetaPixel - google.com • See the dazzling images that won Astronomy Photographer of the Year - newscientist.com • Glødende nordlys og støvede galakser: Se årets bedste astro-fotos her - videnskab.dk • Spectacular image of the Shark Nebula wins Royal Observatory Greenwich prize - physicsworld.com • Kuwaiti photographer makes history with ‘Quiet Predator’ - arabtimesonline.com --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News