Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015

Found on the BBC website a plethora of images of the heavens, heavenly images I guess. This time of year as it gets harder to see the stars in the UK the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year are announced and what a surprising set of images they are.

Huge Prominence Lift-off – by Paolo Porcellana (Our Sun, Winner)

Paul Kerley writes

Shimmering phenomena in the night sky – and starry sights billions of light years away – take a look at some of the finalists in the 2015 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. “Utterly enthralling with moments of brilliance” is how the comedian, impersonator and amateur astronomer Jon Culshaw describes the shortlisted entries in the competition to become the Astronomy Photographer of the Year. With his personal interest in the cosmos, Culshaw was one of the judges this year. He says he was aged about seven or eight when he got the space bug. He looked for UFOs, was fascinated by lunar eclipses and always watched the Sky at Night.

Interaction – Hemnesberget, Nordland, Norway – by Tommy Eliassen (People and Space, Highly Commended)

Silk Skies – Abisko National Park, Lapland, Sweden – by Jamen Percy (Aurorae, Winner)

Eclipse Totality over Sassendalen – by Luc Jamet (Skyscapes, Winner and Overall Winner)

Sumo Waggle Adventure – Lomaas River, Skanland, Norway – by Arild Heitmann (Aurorae, Highly Commended)

Sunset Peak Star Trail – Lantau Island, Hong Kong – by Chap Him Wong (People and Space, Winner)

Royal Observatory Greenwich in London until 26 June 2016.

See the full article and many more fascinating images on the BBC here