Astrophotographer of the Year shares magnificent 2021 shortlists

If you love astrophotography, here’s a real treat. Royal Observatory Greenwich has just announced the magnificent shortlisted images of its 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. The photos were taken all over the globe, and even beyond: there’s even a photo of the sunset on Mars. So without further ado, let’s dive in and enjoy this gorgeous selection of images.

Martian Sunset © John White

Royal Observatory Greenwich organizes the contest in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, and it’s now in its 13th year. This year’s contest received over 4,500 entries from enthusiastic amateurs and professional photographers, taken from 75 countries across the globe.

The contest features nine categories, as well as two special prizes. The winners will be announced on Thursday, 16 September and the ceremony will take place online. For anyone interested in attending, it will also be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube.

Luna Park © Ed Hurst

The winning and shortlisted images will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from Saturday 18 September, and they will be published in the competition’s official book, which will be available in September.

Take a look at the remaining shortlisted photos below and visit the contest’s website for more information. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for September to see who the winners will be. Do you have your favorites already?

NGC 6723, NGC 6726, NGC 6727 and NGC 6729 – Dark Molecular Cloud in Corona Australis © Steven Mohr

NGC 6188 SHOrgb by Cielaustral team © Jean-Claude Canonne, Didier Chaplain, Georges Chassaigne, Philippe Bernhard, Laurent Bourgon and Nicolas Outters