[imagesource: Ignacio Diaz Bobillo / Astronomy Photographer of the Year]

More than 3 000 images were submitted to this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, from amateur and professional photographers across 67 different countries.

That can only mean that a lot of space was covered.

The 2022 shortlisted images are nothing short of spectacular, from a mesmerising moonrise moment over an ancient English tower to a surreal shot of the Milky Way above the highest highway in the world.

Other incredible Earth-bound moments include Carl Gallagher’s bewitching single shot of the Aurora Borealis in front of a wrecked whaling ship in Iceland, per New Atlas:

“It was quite a powerful experience to see this rusting vessel, once a whaling ship, now sitting on the beach at the end of the fjord with the aurora just beginning to appear through gaps in the cloud,” said Gallagher.

“I never stack, blend or stitch images – it’s just a simple, single, moment in time.”

The image up top of the Carina Nebula, taken in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, by Ignacio Diaz Bobillo is shortlisted, alongside these other spellbinding shortlisted shots:

The aforementioned starry sky over the world’s highest national highway by Yang Sutie:

A mind-bending shot of ‘NGC6888 the Crescent Nebula’ by Bray Falls:

That mysterious scene of an ‘Icelandic Saga’ by Carl Gallagher:

An imaginative ‘little devil riding on the head of a dragon’ by Nan Wang/ Binyu Wang:

The moon in all its glory, titled ‘Equinox Moon and Glastonbury Tor’ by Hannah Rochford:

This hypnotic ‘Hydra’s Pinwheel’ by Peter Ward:

And last but not least, the captivating ‘Clouds of Hydrogen Gas’ by Simon Tang:

The competition has been up and running for 14 years and “covers a broad range of astrophotography styles”:

This year the contest spanned nine main categories (covering everything from Planets, Comets, and Aurorae, to the Moon and the Sun), alongside a special Youth category and two special prizes focusing on the best newcomer and the most innovative photography.

Winners will be announced on September 15, with all the transfixing images displayed at the National Maritime Museum in London from September 17.

[source:newatlas]