Planet Earth may be blessed with a diversity of life that (as far as we know) is unparalled in the rest of the solar system, but when it comes to sheer spectacle, it's just a small dot in the infinite beauty of our cosmos. The Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, now in its 11th year, offers photographers from all around the third rock from the Sun the chance to showcase their best astrophotography.

This brilliant photography competition, led by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, sponsored by Insight Investment and run in association with BBC Sky at Night magazine, saw a record number of submissions this year, with more than 4,600 entries from enthusiastic amateurs and professional photographers spanning 90 countries.

The shortlist incudes a range of spectacular images, including the Milky Way over Bavaria to the Southern Lights above Tasmania, with far-reaching sights across the solar system too. Winners of the nine categories, along with two special prizes, will be announced at a special awards ceremony at the National Maritime Museum on 12 September - watch this space as we share the winners!

The awards ceremony can be followed live on Twitter #astrophoto2019. Winning images, alongside a selection of shortlisted images, will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from Friday 13 September and published in the competition's official book, Astronomy Photographer of the Year, Collection 8, available on 7 November.

https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/galleries/2019/shortlist