Nikos Stri boulis wins international astronomy photography award

Greek photographer Nikos Stri boulis, aged 15, has been named ‘New Astronomical Photographer of the Year’ at the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2026 awards. His winning photograph, titled ‘Mineral Moon’, is a detailed close-up of the Moon captured in March 2025 from Palaio Faliro.

The image displays rare orange and blue hues resulting from iron and titanium deposits on the lunar surface. The photograph captures various lunar features, including the Mare Serenitatis, the Mare Imbrium, and the Montes Apenninus mountain range. Stri boulis achieved the shot using a Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 6″ Skyliner 150 Classic telescope and a Player One Astronomy Ares-C Pro cooled color camera, selecting only 15% of the frames from a 20-second video.

As part of his award, Stri boulis received £1,500 and an annual subscription to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.