The Shortlisted Images For Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2019 Are Incredible

Astronomy is a discipline that goes back tens of thousands of year. We tell stories about the night sky, we study it, and we just enjoy looking at these stars. Some of us are also pretty excellent at photographing these stars, as well as planets, meteors, galaxies, and nebulae. To crown the best astronomy photographer of the year, the Royal Observatory is back with its Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019.

The competition is in its 11th year and once again received a huge amount of entries. There were more than 4,600 submissions from over 90 countries across the globe. The winners will be announced on September 12, with the job of judging the photos reserved for British comedian Jon Culshaw, the art editor of BBC Sky at Night Magazine Steve Marsh, and other experts from the art and astronomy world.

The competition is sponsored by Insight Investment in association with BBC's Sky at Night Magazine. There are nine different categories and two special prizes, with each winner receiving £1,500 ($1,880) in prize money. The runners-up receive £500 ($630) and highly commended entries given £250 ($315). The judges will also announce an overall winner for the competition, who will receive £10,000 (about $12,500).

Below we have selected some of the most evocative shortlisted images.