The UK Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year have just created a shortlist of entries to this years competition and as ever the standard is extremely high. Whilst most of us would struggle to get award winning photographs of deep space (we’ll leave that to the astronomers in observatories) the competition does accept entries taken right here on earth, opening it up for anyone to enter.
The winners will be announced on the 15th September and then later displayed at the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Centre. For now though here are some of the best so far.
Flash Point by Brad Goldpaint
The Perseid Meteor Shower shoots across the nights sky above Mount Shasta in California, USA, on the 13 August 2015.
M8: Lagoon Nebula by Ivan Eder
New stars can be seen forming in the glowing clouds of M8 which is also referred to as the Lagoon Nebula, located around 5,000 miles from earth.
Northern Lights over Jokulsarlon, Iceland by Giles Rocholl
A Fork, a Spoon and a Moon by Andrew Caldwell
A Royal Spoonbill sits on top of a branch illuminated by the moons glow in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
Frozen Giant by Nicholas Roemmelt
Here the celestial curve of the Milky Way can be seen following the light of a stargazer’s headlamp as they look up in awe at the sky above the Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy.
Pickering’s Triangle by Bob Franke
Located in the Veil Nebula, Pickering’s Triangle is a series of luminous tangled filaments and the remains of a supernova whose source exploded more than 8,000 years ago.
Huge Filaprom by Gabriel Octavian Corban
A filaprom extends from the surface of the sun. A filaprom is a large gaseous feature emitted from the sun that can reach the length of 150 earths aligned.
Just Missed the Bullseye by Scott Carnie-Bronca
Concentric star trails above the trees of Harrogate, South Australia, appear to be disrupted by the passing of the International Space Station (ISS).
Parallel Mountains by Sean Goebel
The highest peak in the state of Hawaii, Manua Kea, is projected over Hualalai volcano as the moon soars above.
M82: Starburst Galaxy with a Superwind by Leonardo Orazi
Galaxy M82 which is located 12 millions miles away from earth gives off a vibrant and radiant red glow caused by superwind bursts.
Between the Rocks by Rick Whitacre
The Milky Way can be seen illuminating the nights sky between two giant rocks at the Pfeiffer State Beach, near Big Sur, California.
Seven Magic Points by Rune Engebø
Here the Aurora Borealis can be seen reflecting off of a giant iron sculpture in Brattebergan, Norway.
ISS Under Venus and the Moon by Philippe Jacquot
Taken from on top of the Semnoz Mountain, the International Space Station can be seen arcing over the city of Annecy in France below the moon.
Painted Hills by Nicholas Roemmelt
Thanks to little light pollution the beautiful Milky Way can be seen lighting up the colourful layers of Oregon’s hills.
The Diamond Ring by Melanie Thorne
The moment our sun disappears behind the moon during the total solar eclipse of 9th March 2016 in Indonesia.
Wall of Plasma by Eric Toops
A solar prominence extends outwards from the suns surface. To give you a sense of it’s height the wall of plasma is roughly three times earths diameter.
Antarctic Space Station by Richard Inman
The Aurora Borealis can be seen dancing in the nights sky above the Halley 6 Research Station located on the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica.
The Disconnection Event by Michael Jäeger
Comet Lovejoy flying through space on the 21st January 2015 leaving a trail of green and purple haze behind it.
Above the World by Lee Cook
Taken from the oldest hut in Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand, this photo shows a spiral of stars over the surrounding mountainous landscape.
Venus Rising by Ivan Slade
During the alignment of the five planets which occurred in February 2016, Venus, Mercury and the Milky Way rose before sunrise over Turrimeta Beach, Australia.
Crystal Brilliance by Tommy Richardsen
A lunar halo forms around the moon above Norway. The phenomenon which is also referred to as a moon ring or winter halo is caused when moonlight refracts off of ice particles suspended in the atmosphere.
