11 Award-Winning Images That Are, Quite Literally, Out Of This World

© Artem Mironov

A sumptuous image depicting the vibrant blues and pinks of the swirling dust and gas clouds in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex, situated approximately 400 light years away from our planet, has been crowned the winner of this year's Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.  

Other winning entries include the other-worldly scene of a powerful, teal aurora sweeping across the night sky and engulfing the clouds over the sea in Stokksnes, Iceland by Mikkel Beiter (Denmark); the changing faces of our neighbouring planet Venus over six months as seen from London taken by Roger Hutchinson (UK); the serene sight of the dusky, Milky Way viewed through the minimalist outdoor passageway of LAMOST at the National Astronomical Observatory of China, shot by Haitong Yu (China); and a vivid deep-red image of the Cone Nebula, lying about 2,700 light-years away in the constellation of Monoceros, captured by Jason Green.

13-year-old Olivia Williamson (UK) taking home the top prize in the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year category with her incredibly detailed image of the ringed planet Saturn, which she captured on a trip to the desert near Al Khanzna with her dad. 

You can view all of the winning, runner-up and high commended images in a free exhibition at the Royal Observatory’s Astronomy Centre until 22 July 2018 as well as on the astro photo website. 

© Yuri Zvezdny

© László Francsics

© Gerald Rhemann

© Alexandra Hart

©   Haitong Yu 

© Olivia Williamson

© Jason Green 

© Roger Hutchinson
 

© Mikkel Beite