By Anthony Cardellini ’17
THE ROUNDUP
Sophomore Gray Olson’s ’17 picture of the “Great Orion Nebula” earned him a chance to be crowned the Royal Observatory Young Photographer of the Year.
His photograph will be published in a coffee table book with other nominees as they await the announcement of the finalists on Sept. 18.
Overall, there were more than 2,500 entries in the competition hosted by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, England.
“I’ve always been fascinated with photos of space,” Olson said in an email to The Roundup. His picture shows a dark sky with bright stars that make up the blue Orion Nebula.
His interest in astrophotography dates back to childhood, where he came across the website www.instructables.com, which supports do-it-yourself projects for aspiring people.
He also added he wasn’t exactly expecting the honor of getting a nomination in the contest.
“It had been a few months since I had submitted the image and they hadn’t contacted me, so I wasn’t really expecting an email … Then I checked my email and saw one from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition,” Olson said.
He added that he “was super excited” upon realizing he had been nominated.
Olson took the photo in late January, while on a trip to Ajo, AZ. with fellow Brophy astrophotographer Michael Heiland ’14.
The image can be viewed here, and photos from other shortlisted students in the competition can be seen here.
