The Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine, organized the ninth annual contest for the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year. They have recently published the shortlisted images for 2017, which will show you spectacular images of space taken from all corners of the world. Over 3800 entries were sent to the contest, from 91 countries across the globe. They range from stunning photos of Aurorae to photos of galaxies, comets, planets, and stars. The contest even includes the first time images of Uranus and asteroids. Out of almost 4000 photos, here are 31 of the shortlisted ones for your enjoyment and inspiration.
There are nine categories to the competition:
The judges will also award two special prizes: The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer, for photos taken by people who have taken up the hobby in the last year and have not entered an image into the competition before. Robotic Scope Image of the Year: Photos taken using one of the increasing number of computer-controlled telescopes at prime observing sites around the world which can be accessed over the internet by members of the public. The judging panel included Rebecca Roth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, renowned comedian and keen amateur astronomer Jon Culshaw, Editor of BBC Sky at Night Magazine Chris Bramley, the Royal Observatory’s Public Astronomer Dr. Marek Kukula and a host of experts in the worlds of art and astronomy. The winners of all nine categories and two special prizes will be announced on Thursday 14 September. The special award ceremony will be held at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and the winning images will be displayed in a free exhibition at the Observatory’s Astronomy Centre from Saturday 16 September. For those who can’t attend, you can follow it live on Twitter under #astrophoto2017 hashtag. There will also be the official book with the winning and shortlisted entries. It becomes available on 2 November, and you’ll be able to find it in bookstores and online. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about the contest, make sure to visit Royal Museums Greenwich website. And finally, here are some of the shortlisted images from different categories, along with more information. Stunning, aren’t they? [via DPReview]
