Stunning Pic Of Solar Flare Wins Turkish Man Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2023 Award

Washington: Turkish astrophotographer Mehmet Ergün bagged the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 award for his stunning capture of ‘The Great Solar Flare’.

The award was presented to him in the People’s Choice Award category. The picture, clicked using an H-alpha solar telescope, shows a sizable solar flare.

Mehmet Ergün further shared what solar flares are in layman’s language: “Solar flares are sudden bursts of magnetic energy on the surface of the Sun. These eruptions can be very large, as seen in the image. According to our calculation, this solar flare is about 700,000 km long; Earth has a diameter of about 12,700 km.”

Ergün also shared the news on his Instagram account. He expressed gratitude towards the people who voted for his photo, thereby helping him win the award.

Ergün wrote, “After almost 15,000 votes online and at the exhibition, the winner of the ‘Astronomy Photographer of the Year’ People’s Choice Award was finally announced! We made it! Your incredible support and valuable votes made me really win.”