Shortlisted photos of 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year will take your breath away

Here’s a real treat for all astrophotography fans and space enthusiasts. Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year has just announced its shortlisted images of the 2019 competition. And just like in the previous years, the selected images are absolutely breathtaking!

The 2018 Astronomy Photographer of the Year is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted their work for the eleventh contest so far. This year, the record has been broken once again with over 4,600 entries submitted from 90 countries across the globe.

When the selection is completed, the overall winner will take the title of the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019. Just like last year, the photographers are competing in nine categories:

Skyscapes
Aurorae
People and Space
Our Sun
Our Moon
Planets, Comets and Asteroids
Stars and Nebulae
Galaxies
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (astrophotographers under the age of 16)

Other than the overall winner and category winners, the judges will also award two special prizes: The Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer and The Robotic Scope Image of the Year.

The winners of the 2019 contest will be announced at an award ceremony at the National Maritime Museum on 12 September 2019. The winning photographs, alongside a selection of shortlisted images, will be exhibited in the National Maritime Museum from 13 September 2019.

The overall winner will receive £10,000. Winners of all other categories and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year will receive £1,500. There are also prizes for runners-up (£500) and highly commended (£250) entries. The Special Prize winners will receive £750. All of the winning entries will receive a one year subscription to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

As I was preparing the images for the article, I would exclaim a loud “wow!” I always look forward to seeing the amazing images that get shortlisted and awarded at this contest. And just like before, I wasn’t disappointed. Check out the rest of the photos below, and for more amazing photos from previous contests, see the shortlisted and winning images of 2017 contest, as well as 2018 winners.