Astronomy photos are, quite literally, out of this world.
If you're a fan of captivating images of the moon, sun, galaxies, stars, and aurorae, you should definitely check out the photography from this year's Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
The winners, runner-ups, and highly commended photos have just been announced, and they offer stunning depictions of everything from the 35 phases of the total lunar eclipse to striking nebula complexes.
This year's eleventh annual Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition received a record number of more the 4,600 entries, according to a press release, and they were taken from 90 countries around the world.
Here are 14 of the most impressive photos from the 2019 competition.
"Into the Shadow," the winner of the Our Moon category and overall winner of the competition
Credit: László Francsics, Hungary
"Crescent Moon During the Day," runner-up in the Our Moon category.
Credit: Rafael Ruiz, spain
"Seven-colour Feather of the Moon," highly commended in the Our Moon category.
Credit: Yiming Li, china
'The Watcher," winner of Aurorae category.
Credit: Nicolai Brügger, Germany
"Aurora Australis from Beerbarrel Beach," runner-up in the Aurorae category.
Credit: James Stone, Australia
"The Jewels of Orion," Joint winner Air Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer category.
Credit: Ross Clark, UK
"Shells of Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3923 in Hydra," Winner in the Galaxies category.
Credit: Rolf Wahl Olsen, Denmark
"Andromeda Galaxy," highly commended in the Galaxies category.
Credit: Raul Villaverde Fraile, Spain
"A Little Fireworks," winner in the Our Sun category.
Credit: Alan Friedman, usa
"The Active Area," runner-up in the Our Sun category.
Credit: Gabriel Corban, Romania
"The Sun – Atmospheric Detail," highly commended in the Our Sun category.
Credit: Jason Guenzel, USA
"Infrared Saturn," winner in the Robotic Scope category.
Credit: László Francsics, Hungary
"Statue of Liberty Nebula," winner in the Stars and Nebulae category.
Credit: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo, Argentina
"Stellar Flower," by Davy van der Hoeven (age 11). Winner in the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year category.
Credit: Davy van der Hoeven, Netherlands
You can learn more about the 2019 winners here, and the photographs will be showcased at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, from Sept. 13, 2019 to April 26, 2020.
