THOUSANDS of spectacular images taken by professionals and amateurs alike have gone up against each other in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
Over 3,800 entries were submitted to judges, with the stunning pictures spanning 91 countries across the globe.
21 The reflection in the wave ripples of Skagsanden beach mirrors the green whirls of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky overhead in this image by Beate BehnkeCredit: BEATEBEHNKE
For the first time since the competition’s launch nine years ago, the shortlist includes images of distant ice giant Uranus – the seventh furthest planet from the Sun.
There is even a photographic negative of an asteroid that darted past the earth in late October last year.
A panel featuring experts from NASA, the BBC’s Sky at Night Magazine and the Royal Observatory Greenwich will now judge the competition’s nine categories.
These include Our Sun, Our Moon, Skyscapes, and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year.
The overall winner will bag themselves £10,000, while winners of all other categories will each receive £1,500.
The winning photos will then be displayed at the Observatory’s Astronomy Centre from Saturday 16 September.
21 This photograph, called ‘The Lost Hour’ by Andrew Whyte, shows star trails seemingly spinning over a lone stargazerCredit: Andrew Whyte
21 Beautiful Trømso by Derek Burdeny of the US shows nature’s answer to a stunning firework display with the Northern Lights dancing above a rainbow cast in the waters of the harbourCredit: Derek Burdeny
21 This captivating photograph, called Scintillating Sirius by Steve Brown (UK), was captured in Stokesley, North Yorkshire on January 11 2016Credit: Steve Brown
21 Lying in the constellation of Orion, at a distance of 1467 light years from our planet is the emission and reflection nebula NGC 2023. It was taken by Warren Keller at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, near La Serena, ChileCredit: Warren Keller
21 The Road Back Home by Ruslan Merzlyakov shows noctilucent clouds stretching across the Swedish skyCredit: Ruslan Merzlyakov
21 The snow-clad mountain in the Eastern Sierras towers over the rusty aspen grove aligned perfectly in front of it, whilst our galaxy the Milky Way glistens above in this image taken by Brandon YoshizawaCredit: Brandon Yoshizawa
21 The turquoise of the Aurora Borealis swirls above the snow covered trees of Murmansk in Russia in this image captured by photographer Yulia ZhulikovaCredit: Yulia Zhulikova
21 Eastern Province by Paul Andrew of the UK shows a large, searing hedgerow prominence extending from the surface of the Sun on 29 August 2016Credit: Paul Andrew
21 A stargazer observes the constellation of the Big Dipper perfectly aligned with the window of the entrance to a large glacier cave in Engadin, Switzerland. Photo: Nicholas Roemmelt (Denmark)Credit: Nicholas Roemmelt
21 Taken from The Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island, the image by Prisca Law shows the hustle and bustle of the city in contrast to the peaceful starry skyCredit: Prisca Law
21 Moon Rise Reflections by Joshua Wood (New Zealand) shows an unexpected shot of the moon rising over the glistening ocean off the Wairarapa coast, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the SunCredit: Joshua Wood
21 The Milky Way rises ominously above a small radio telescope from a large array at Miyun Station, National Astronomical Observatory of China, in the suburbs of BeijingCredit: Haitong Yu
21 Ignite the Lights by Nicolas Alexander Otto was shot in Lofoten Islands in Norway. The image is stacked from six different exposures to combat high ISO and thermal noise in the foregroundCredit: N. Alexander Otto
21 The stars beam down on to the Meili Snow Mountains, also known as the Prince Snow Mountains – the highest peaks in the Yunnan Province, ChinaCredit: Zhong Wu
21 The setting crescent moon and Mars gaze over Saltfjellet, Norway as the Northern Lights appear to emanate from the snowy landscapeCredit: Tommy Eliassen
21 On 31 October 2016, Near Earth Asteroid 164121 (2003 YT1) made a close encounter with Earth. This Apollo asteroid with an orbital period of 427 days was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 18 December 2003. The photographer managed to capture it on a live screen using special softwareCredit: Derek Robson
21 A lone stargazer sits atop the peak of Castell-Y-Gwynt (Castle of the Winds) on Glyder Fach Mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, beneath a starry night sky during freezing temperatures in mid-winterCredit: Kris Williams
21 A shooting star flashes across the sky over the craggy landscape of Portland, Dorset, as our neighbouring planet Venus looks on. The image is of two stacked exposures: one for the sky and one for the rocks. It was shot in Portland, DorsetCredit: Rob Bowes
21 The 7% waxing crescent Moon setting in the evening sky over the Needles Lighthouse at the western tip of the Isle of WightCredit: Ainsley Bennett
21 The International Space Station (ISS) whizzes across the dusky face of the Earth’s natural satellite, the moon, while photographed in broad daylight in Madrid, Spain by Dani Caxete