When I announced this contest, I said that I like odd and unusual views. None of the entries fit that bill as neatly as this shot of all the solar system's planets except one (I suspect the photographer meant Pluto, but if you think Pluto's not a planet then you could interpret this as missing the Earth)... and he even included the Sun!

I love the layout he chose, as well as the colors of the planets: note rusty Mars, greenish Uranus, and cerulean Neptune. It also shows the relative apparent sizes of the planets; Venus is the same size as the Earth, but at its close proximity it appears to be bigger than the physically larger but more distant Saturn.

Even more remarkably: All these shots were taken in one day and night! The imagination, perseverance, and obvious excitement of the photographer make this picture my favorite of all the entries, and my clear choice for Best Picture.