In just a few months , the Royal Observatory Greenwich will crown the winners of Astronomy Photographer of the Year . To tease the momentous occasion , they have partake the shortlist selection from over 4,000 entries by amateur and professional photographers hailing from 64 countries around the world . The contender is organize by the Royal Observatory Greenwich , with Liberty Specialty Markets and BBC Sky at Night Magazine , and it is now in its fifteenth year .
There are nine main categories in the rival : citizenry and space , skyscapes , aurorae , our Sun , the Moon , objects in the Solar System , superstar and nebulae , galaxies , and an award for people 16 year old or untried . Each of them will have a winner , a runner - up , and a extremely commended swag .
There are also two particular prizes : the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and the Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation . The latter is award for the best - processed range of a function from assailable - source data from established telescopes . Among the winning entryway , one will be picked to be the overall winner , a talented astrophotographer who will take home a £ 10,000 plunder .
Pandora’s Box - The Milky Way viewed behind a graffiti of Pandora by Wild Drawing (WD), a Balinese artist on the Greek island of Naxos.IMAGE CREDIT: © DEREK HORLOCK
As always , we can only share a small-scale survival of the shortlist with the lensman ' captions , so here are our favorites .
People & Space
Aurorae
Our Sun
Our Moon
Stars & Nebulae
Galaxies
Skyscapes
A larger pick of the shortlist picture is available on theRoyal Observatory of Greenwich website .
Arctic Gates - The Northern Lights over the mammoth sundial Arctic Henge, which is inspired by Norse mythology.IMAGE CREDIT: © DANIEL VIÑÉ GARCIA
China Space Station Transits Active Sun - The Sun photographed showing the transit of the China Space Station (CSS). The image of the CSS was produced by selecting the nine clearest photos from captured video frames.IMAGE CREDIT: © LETIAN WANG
Ball of Rock - This is a composite of an image of the Moon 78 percent illuminated and an image of the full Moon. Assembling close-up shots to create a mosaic of the whole Moon is complex as the perspective changes slightly during a lunar orbit.IMAGE CREDIT: © RICH ADDIS
The Majestic Tarantula Nebula - Capturing the Tarantula Nebula’s intricate details and vibrant hues is a challenging task that requires precision and patience. Narrowband filters have been used for the nebulosity and RGB filters for the stars, so they are in natural colors.IMAGE CREDIT: © STEEVE BODY
NGC 3521: Marquise in the Sky - NGC 3521, a flocculent intermediate spiral galaxy, is surrounded by dust and has numerous star-forming areas and a luminous center. Rarely seen hydrogen alpha jets have been captured.IMAGE CREDIT: © MARK HANSON; MIKE SELBY
Celestial Equator Above First World War Trench Memorial - Star trails above the preserved First World War trenches in Canadian National Vimy Memorial Park, Northern France. Taken over five hours, the camera captured the rotation of the sky revealing the colorful stars.Image Credit: © Louis Leroux-Gere
