The 2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlists will take your breath away

Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year never fails to present us with some extraordinary images of space. It’s no different this year. The shortlisted images of the 2020 competition have just been announced, and as always, they’re just splendid! I’m sure they’ll take your breath away just like they did mine.

Like before, the 2020 Astronomy Photographer of the Year has been organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

This year, the contest has seen a record number of entries, coming from photographers from almost 70 countries across the globe. The overall winner, Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year, will be chosen on 10 September, along with winners in nine different categories:

Skyscapes
Aurorae
People and Space
Our Sun
Our Moon
Planets, Comets and Asteroids
Stars and Nebulae
Galaxies
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The judges will also award two special prizes: The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and The Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Photos produced using publicly available images.

The overall winner will receive £10,000 and winners of all other categories and the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year will receive £1,500. There are also prizes for runners-up (£500) and highly commended (£250) entries. The Special Prize winners will receive £750. All of the winning entries will also receive a one-year subscription to BBC Sky at Night Magazine. In addition, the winning and shortlisted photos will be exhibited in the National Maritime Museum from October 2020. Hopefully, the coronavirus madness will be behind us by then so that you can see these magnificent images in person.

In the meantime, check out the beautiful shortlisted photos below. And if you want more, make sure to look back at the galleries from previous years: