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15 stunning photos of the world at night

, Aug. 4, 2017, 3:58 PM, http://www.thisisinsider.com/n...y-photography-2017-8

The INSIDER Summary:

  • The Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest showcases the best photos of the night sky and the universe.
  • The judges announced the shortlisted images from the 2017 contest.
  • Here are 15 incredible photos taken by astrophotographers all over the world.

The night sky is pretty incredible.Yulia Zhulikova

All eyes will be on the sun this summer with the first solar eclipse visible from the US in 38 years occurring on August 21. The real show, though, happens every night when the sun goes down.

The Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest recognizes the best photos of the night sky and the universe taken by photographers all over the world. The winners will be announced September 14, but the panel of astronauts and astronomers recently shortlisted a selection of notable entries.

Here are 15 breathtaking photos that capture just how beautiful the night sky can be.

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"A Battle We Are Losing" by Haitong Yu

Beijing, China.
Haitong Yu

"The Milky Way rises ominously above a small radio telescope from a large array at Miyun Station, National Astronomical Observatory of China, in the suburbs of Beijing. The image depicts the ever-growing light pollution we now experience, which together with electromagnetic noise has turned many optical and radio observatories near cities both blind and deaf — a battle that inspired the photographer's title of the shot."

FM

"An Icy Moonscape" by Kris Williams

Capel Curig, Snowdonia National Park, Conwy, UK.
Kris Williams

"A lone stargazer sits atop the peak of Castell-Y-Gwynt (Castle of the Winds) on Glyder Fach Mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, beneath a starry night sky during freezing temperatures in mid-winter. The lunar-like landscape was formed through a process called freeze-thaw weathering: water seeps into cracks in the rock, freezing and expanding as ice forms, eventually cracking the rock over hundreds and thousands of years."

FM

"Auroral Crown" by Yulia Zhulikova

Murmansk, Russia.
Yulia Zhulikova

"During an astrophotography tour of the Murmansk region with Stas Korotkiy, an amateur astronomer and popularizer of astronomy in Russia, the turquoise of the Aurora Borealis swirls above the snow covered trees. Illuminated by street lamps, the trees glow a vivid pink, forming a contrasting frame for Nature's greatest light show."

FM

"Beautiful TromsÃļ" by Derek Burdeny

TromsÃļ, Norway.
Derek Burdeny

"The aurora activity forecast was low for this evening, so the photographer remained in TromsÃļ rather than drive to the fjord. The unwitting photographer captured Nature's answer to a stunning firework display as the Northern Lights dance above a rainbow cast in the waters of the harbour in TrÃļmso made for a spectacular display, but did not realize what he had shot until six months later when reviewing his images."

FM

"Crescent Moon over the Needles" by Ainsley Bennett

Alum Bay, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, UK.
Ainsley Bennett

"The 7% waxing crescent Moon setting in the evening sky over the Needles Lighthouse at the western tip of the Isle of Wight. Despite the Moon being a thin crescent, the rest of its shape is defined by sunlight reflecting back from the Earth's surface."

FM

"Hustle and Peaceful" by Prisca Law

The Peak, Hong Kong.
Prisca Law

"Taken from The Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island, the image shows the hustle and bustle of the city in contrast to the peaceful starry sky. The haze above the beautiful landscape reminds us that light pollution prevents us from enjoying an even more stunning sky view. Along the coastline the sharp, vibrant light signifies the fast-paced life of cities that many of us have become accustomed to."

FM

"Mr. Big Dipper" by Nicholas Roemmelt

Engadin, GraubÞnden, Switzerland.
Nicholas Roemmelt

"A stargazer observes the constellation of the Big Dipper perfectly aligned with the window of the entrance to a large glacier cave in Engadin, Switzerland. This is a panorama of two pictures, and each is a stack of another two pictures: one for the stars and another one for the foreground, but with no composing or time blending."

FM

"Reflection" by Beate Behnke

Skagsanden, Lofoten, Norway.
Beate Behnke

"The reflection in the wave ripples of Skagsanden beach mirrors the brilliant green whirls of the Aurora Borealis in the night sky overhead. To obtain the effect of the shiny surface, the photographer had to stand in the wave zone of the incoming flood, and only when the water receded very low did the opportunity to capture the beautiful scene occur."

FM

"Super Moon" by Giorgia Hofer

Laggio di Cadore, Province of Belluno, Italy.
Giorgia Hofer

"The magnificent sight of the Super Moon illuminating the night sky as it sets behind the Marmarole, in the heart of the Dolomites in Italy. On the night of 14 November 2016, the Moon was at perigee at 356.511 km away from the centre of Earth, the closest occurrence since 1948. It will not be closer again until 2034. On this night, the Moon was 30% brighter and 14% bigger than other full moons."

FM

"The Lost Hour" by Andrew Whyte

Titchfield, Hampshire, UK.
Andrew Whyte

"The radiant, concentric star trails seemingly spinning over a lone stargazer against the glowing purples and pinks of the night sky during the hour when the clocks 'spring forward' to begin British Summer Time. With time so intrinsically linked to celestial activity, a one-hour star trail seemed the perfect metaphor. Through the use of long exposures, the trails depict the rotation of the Earth on its axis centering on the north celestial pole, the sky moving anti-clockwise around this point."

FM

"The Road Back Home" by Ruslan Merzlyakov

UmeÃĨ, Sweden.
Ruslan Merzlyakov

"Noctilucent clouds stretch across the Swedish sky illuminating a motorcyclist's ride home in this dramatic display. Noctilucent clouds are the highest clouds in the Earth's atmosphere and form above 200,000 ft. Thought to be formed of ice crystals, the clouds occasionally become visible at twilight when the Sun is below the horizon and illuminates them."

FM

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