Earth Day: we’re over the moon about our contest winner’s photos 08-17-2020 |  5 minutes

To the Moon ! © Spla_Ta

Spla_Ta, real name Axel Willerval, 26, lives in Arras, Northern France. He has loved astronomy ever since he can remember. When he was 10 years old, he was given a Newton telescope equipped with a little mirror, and with it he started moongazing.

Petit matin (Early morning) © Spla_Ta

When he was 19, he bought a Bresser 203/1000 telescope so he could observe planets, galaxies and nebulae. But he didn’t have a camera capable of taking photos of them.

Cratères (Craters) © Spla_Ta

Then in December 2018 he got himself an adapter and a Canon EOS 200D digital camera, and began photographing the heavens.

Blue skies © Spla_Ta

At first, he was shy about sharing his photos, but the friendliness of the astrophotography community, especially on Instagram, encouraged him. Fellow astrophotographers offered tips for further improving his work.

Earthshine © Spla_Ta

There’s a story behind each photo, as well as a lot of time and effort. Our jury was extremely impressed by Spla_Ta’s passion for and dedication to his art.

Star vortex © Spla_Ta

He says that taking space photographs is a very emotionally rich experience for him – such as when he captured his first galaxy or his first nebula, or when he managed to get all the planets in the solar system in the same picture. Emotions that shine through in each of his pieces.