"I Analyzed 828 Images Shortlisted for Astronomy Photographer of the Year To See What Gear Was Used: This Is What I Found Out"

By Anthony Robinson, originally for Skies and Scopes

Featured image credit: Andromeda, Unexpected © Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty. Winner, Galaxies category and overall winner using the Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is one of the most prestigious astrophotography contests in the world. Run annually by Royal Museums Greenwich in the UK, over 100 of the best images are shortlisted every year with the overall winner taking home a prize of over $12,500.

I wanted to know whether we could learn anything by examining what equipment was used in these images. What would we find were the most commonly and successfully used telescopes, mounts and cameras? So, I went through all the data on all 828 images shortlisted over the past six years to do just this. You can read the full study here, but read below for a summary of what I found out specifically about mounts.

1. Sky-Watcher Mounts Are The Most Successful

When I looked at all planetary and deep sky images I found that Sky-Watcher was the most successful mount manufacturer.

33% of all images used a Sky-Watcher mount.

Breaking this data down between planetary and deep sky imaging, I found that:

1. Planetary: Sky-Watcher mounts were used in 42% of planetary images, followed by Celestron mounts having 21% and then a range of other manufacturers
2. Deep Sky: Sky-Watcher mounts also lead for deep sky imaging - accounting for 26% of images, followed by Astro-Physics (16%), and observatory-class mounts from Software Bisque (14%), Planewave (10%), and Astro Systeme Austria (ASA) (7%).

2. The EQ6-R Pro Leads and the EQ8 Pro is Rising Up

The most successfully used individual mount was the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro - accounting for 14% of images - and followed in second by the Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro with 5%.

For planetary imaging, the most used models are the:

1. Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro (15%)
2. Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro (6%)
3. Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro (5%)

For deep sky imaging, the most used models are the:

1. Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro (12%)
2. Software Bisque Paramount ME (8%)
3. ASA DDM85 (5%)

I also wanted to see whether anything had shifted more recently and so I looked at the models most used in just the last three years (2021-2023). I found that:

1. The EQ6-R Pro was still number one (11% of images)
2. The Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro had risen in popularity to be second (accounting for 6% of images)

3. GEMs Leading, but Harmonics Rising

I then looked at the types of mount used. I found that German Equatorial Mounts were by far the most successful, accounting for 73% of use.

What I did find though was a slight shift in 2023 where the share of shortlisted images using equatorial mounts fell to 53%, and the use of Direct Drive and Harmonic mounts increased to 22% and 9%, respectively.

4. The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Is The Most Successful Star Tracker

Lastly I looked at what star trackers were used. These were mostly used in landscape astrophotography images with DSLR and mirrorless cameras and without a telescope.

I found that the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer is the most successful star tracker overall, accounting for 36% of uses.

Conclusion: What Can We Learn?

I did this study because I thought it would be a great way to find out what gear is actually being used successfully by the best astrophotographers around the world today.

What this reveals might not be the latest trend or most expensive new gadget. It shows us what gear is objectively proven to work for astrophotography and is therefore valuable for anyone looking to get into the hobby or upgrade their setup.

Obviously Sky-Watcher must be pretty happy with the findings! It confirms what is well-known in astronomy and astrophotography circles about the quality of the equipment they produce.

I hope you found it useful. You can read the full study that also covers telescopes and cameras over on my website - Astronomy Photographer of the Year Gear Analysis.

If you want a deep dive on mounts and star trackers then check out the Best Mounts for Astrophotography and the Best Star Trackers for Astrophotography.

Anthony Robinson is the founder of Skies & Scopes, a website and community focussed on astrophotography and astronomy.