The shortlisted images for this year’s Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have been released by the Royal Observatory greenwich.
Giving a tantalising glimpse of what to expect from the 2019 competition winners, the shortlisted astrophotos include beautiful aurora over the east coast of Tasmania, noctilucent clouds as seen from the north of Scotland and a breathtaking Milky Way stretching across a mountainous Bavarian landscape.
View our astrophotography gallery below to see this year’s shortlist, and keep an eye out for the announcement of this year’s winners via social media on 12 September 2019.
Follow the awards ceremony as it happens using #astrophoto2019, or by following BBC Sky at Night Magazine on Twitter and Facebook, or the Royal Observatory Greenwich on Twitter and Facebook.
The winning images and a selection of shortlisted images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London from 13 September 2019.
A Titanium Moon, Miguel Claro, Dark Sky® Observatory, Alqueva, Portugal, 25 October 2018. Equipment: Celestron 14” EdgeHD 355 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain, Celestron CGEM mount, Nikon D810A camera.
Albany Milkyway, Yifan Bai, Albany, Australia, 8 October 2018. Equipment: Nikon D810 camera, 15 mm f/2.8 lens.
Aurora Australis from Beerbarrel Beach, James Stone, St Helens, Tasmania, Australia, 20 April 2018. Equipment: Nikon D750 camera, 15 mm f/3.2 lens.
Aurora is a bird, Alexander Stepanenko, Murmansk Region, Russia, 10 September 2018. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, 12 mm f/2.8 lens.
Aurora like phoenix, Wang Zheng, Golden Circle, Iceland, 1 February 2019. Equipment: Sony ILCE-7R2 camera, 12mm f/2.8 lens.
Aurora outside the tiny cave, Sutie Yang, Seljalandsfoss, Iceland, 8 January 2019. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, 14 mm f/2 lens.
Bloodborne, Keijo Laitala, Oulu, Finland, 21 January 2019. Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera, 150 mm f/7.1 lens.
Catching Light, Jason Perry, Nags Head, North Carolina, USA, 13 July 2018. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, 14 mm f/2.8 lens.
Comet and Mountain, Kevin Palmer, Buffalo, Wyoming, USA, 7 December 2018. Equipment: Nikon D750 camera, iOptron Sky-Tracker mount, Nikon 180mm f/2.8 lens.
Mare Crisium captured by Bud Martin Budzynski, Yeovil, Somerset, UK, 22 February 2018. Equipment: Celestron C11 279mm Schmidt-Cassegrain, CGX mount, FLIR Grasshopper3 mono camera.
Dancing in the Goðafoss, Sutie Yang, Bárðardalur, Iceland, 14 January 2019. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, 14 mm lens.
Deep in the Heart of Mordor – NGC 7293, Andrew Campbell, Melbourne, Australia, 27 November 2018. Equipment: GSO RC8CF 200 mm Ritchey-Chretien, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, QSI 683 WSG 8 camera.
Depth and height, NGC 7822 Devil's Head nebulae-komplex, László Bagi, Szarvas, Hungary, 10 October 2018. Equipment: Custom-built Astrographic Newtonian, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount, Atik One 6 CCD Mono camera.
Embrace of the mountains, heart of the universe!, Majid Ghohroodi, Nandal, Mazandaran Province, Iran, 8 June 2018. Equipment: Canon EOS 6D camera, 59 mm f/2.8 lens.
First of All, Alessandro Cantarelli, Pula, Sardinia, Italy, 18 April 2018. Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 12 mm f/4 lens.
Grand Finale, Gordon Mackie, Caithness, UK, 10 August 2018. Equipment: Canon EOS 760D camera, 20 mm f/3.5 lens.
Gum 12, Eddie Trimarchi, Biggera Waters, Australia, 25 February 2018. Equipment: GSO RC10 250 mm Ritchey-Chretien, Baader Ha and OIII filters, Sky-Watcher EQ6 mount, Moravian G3-11000 camera.
Milky Way Centre, Péter Feltóti, Isabis Farm, Khomas, Namibia, 15 May 2018. Equipment: Canon EOS 6D astro-modified camera, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 24 mm f/2.8.
Orion, Raul Villaverde Fraile, Castile-La Mancha Spain, 6 January 2019. Equipment:
Takahashi FSQ-106ED 106mm apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, Canon 6D camera.
Our Moon, Tom Mogford, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, 1 August 2018. Equipment:
Celestron 8” EdgeHD 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain, Celestron AVX mount, ZWO ASI178MC camera.
Out on a Limb, Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK, 8 July 2018. Equipment: Sky-Watcher Evostar 120mm refractor, Daystar QUARK Chromosphere Ha filter, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro GoTo mount, FLIR Blackfly Mono CMOS camera.
Polar. Xiuquan Zhang, Jökulsárlón, Iceland, 6 February 2019. Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 14 mm f/2 lens, ISO 10000, 4-second exposure.
Reflections of aurorae and meteors, Angel Yu, Jökulsárlón, Iceland, 26 January 2019. Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, 14 mm f/1.8 lens.
Reflections of Mount Hooker, Marc Toso, Pinedale, Wyoming, USA, 3 September 2018. Equipment: Nikon D810A camera, 24 mm f/2 lens.
Road to glory, Nicolai Brügger, Giau Pass, Dolomites, Italy, 6–7 February 2019. Nikon D810 camera, 15 mm f/2.8 lens.
Seven-colour feather of the moon, Yiming Li, Dongguan, China, 28 July 2018. Equipment: Canon EOS 6D camera, 100 mm f/2.8 lens.
Sharafkhaneh port and lake Urmia, Masoud Ghadiri, Lake Urmia, Iran, 11 August 2018. Equipment: Nikon D850 camera, Vixen Polarie mount, 24 mm f/4 lens.
The Carina Nebula, Petar Babić, Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia, 24 January 2019. Equipment: iTelescope T9 Tele Vue NP127 127 mm apochromatic refractor, 10Micron 2000 HPS mount, FLI ProLine 16803 camera.
The Lord of the rings and his court, Jordi Delpeix Borrell, Long Bay, Barbados, 5 July 2018. Equipment: Celestron C14 Schmidt-Cassegrain, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera.
The Perseid Fireball 2018, Zhengye Tang, Keluke Lake, Qinghai, China, 13 August 2018. Equipment:
Nikon D810A camera, 14mm f/1.8 lens.
The Remnants, Marcin Zajac, Davenport, California, USA, 3 August 2018. Equipment: Nikon D600 camera, 24 mm f/1.4 lens.
The Running Man Nebula, Steven Mohr, Carapooee, Victoria, Australia, 15 January 2019. Equipment: Planewave CDK12.5 318 mm Dall-Kirkham reflector, Astrophysics AP900 mount, SBIG STXL11002 camera.
The Sculptor Galaxy, Bernard Miller, Martin Pugh, Yass, New South Wales, Australia, 12 November 2018. Equipment: Planewave CDK-17 Dall-Kirkham reflector, Paramount ME mount, SBIG STXL-11002 camera.
View Point, Nicolai Brügger, Kochel, Bavaria, Germany, 22 May 2018. Equipment: Nikon D810 camera, 15 mm f/2.8 lens.
