The winning images from the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 competition have been announced. The top astrophotos of IIAPY 2019 were revealed during a ceremony at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
This year's overall winner is László Francsics, who entered the Our Moon category with a beautiful image showing 35 phases of the 21 January 2019 total lunar eclipse.
The phases were captured so close together, they create a continuous image that reveals Earth's shadow.
Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year is the world's biggest astrophotography competition and every year receives hundreds of images of the cosmos sent in by astronomers and photographers from across the globe.
View our gallery below to find see this year's winning images.
Into the Shadow László Francsics, Budapest, Hungary, 21 January 2019. Category: Our Moon (overall winner). Equipment: Sony Alpha 99 camera, 250mm Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.
The Watcher Nicolai Brügger, Lofoten, Norway, 9 March 2018. Category: Aurorae. Equipment: Nikon D600 camera, 15mm f/2.8 lens.
Shells of Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3923 in Hydra Rolf Wahl Olsen, Auckland, New Zealand, 21 May 2017–25 March 2018. Category: Galaxies. Equipment: QSI 683wsg-8 camera, 12.5-inch truss Newtonian telescope, Losmandy G-11 mount.
A Little Fireworks Alan Friedman, Buffalo, New York, USA, 29 July 2018. Category: Our Sun. Equipment: Point Gray Research Grasshopper camera, AP Stowaway 90mm refractor, Coronado SolarMax 90mm etalon filter, Astro-Physics German equatorial mount.
Ben, Floyd and the Core Ben Bush, Hadrian’s Wall, Hexham, UK, 9 August 2018. Category: People & Space. Equipment: Nikon D810 camera, 24mm f/1.4 lens.
Death of Opportunity Andy Casely, Sydney, Australia, 26 May–30 October 2018. Category: Planets, Comets and Asteroids. Equipment: ZWO ASI290MM camera, Celestron C14 355mm Schmidt-Cassegrain Celestron CGX-L mount.
Across the Sky of History Wang Zheng, Ejina, Inner Mongolia, China, 12 August 2018. Category: Skyscapes. Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera, 20mm f/2 lens.
Statue of Liberty Nebula Ignacio Diaz Bobillo, General Pacheco, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 24 March 2018. Category: Stars and Nebulae. Equipment: Apogee Atlas U16M camera, Astro-Physics 167mm refractor AP 1100GTO mount.
Stellar Flower Davy van der Hoeven (aged 11), Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, South Holland, Netherlands, 26 February 2019. Category: Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Equipment: QSI 583ws camera, TMB92SS 92mm refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 mount.
The Jewels of Orion Ross Clark, Embleton, Northumberland, UK, 30 January 2019. Category: Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer (joint winner). Equipment: Canon EOS 450D DSLR camera, Canon EF 70-200mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount.
Sky and Ground, Stars and Sand Shuchang Dong, Ningxia, China, 25 July 2018. Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer (joint winner). Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera, 50mm f/1.8 lens.
For the 2019 competition, entrants could submit images in the following categories:
Our Moon
Aurorae
Galaxies
Our Sun
People & Space
Planets, Comets and Asteroids
Skyscapes
Stars and Nebulae
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer
Robotic Scope
The overall winner this year takes home £10,000, with £1,500 being awarded to the winner of each category.
All the winners, runners up and highly commended images, plus a selection from the shortlist, are available to view in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from 13 September 2019 until 24 April 2020.
Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor. He fell in love with the night sky when he caught his first glimpse of Orion, aged 10.
Into the Shadow László Francsics, Budapest, Hungary, 21 January 2019. Category: Our Moon (overall winner). Equipment: Sony Alpha 99 camera, 250mm Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.
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