Some of the best entries in the 2016 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The winners will be announced in September. Here: Kayaks, Äkäslompolo, Finland. Vibrant auroras in varying hues of blue and green swirl across the southern sky over lake Äkäslompolo in Finland. The photographer remembers the difficulty of choosing where to capture the phenomenal display as the night sky was overtaken by the light show. (Photo by Marcus Kiili/National Maritime Museum)
Monument Stars, Monument Valley, US. Despite being taken during the lunar eclipse of 2015, Albert Dros actually didn’t shoot the moon but took the opportunity to capture the amazing dark sky. Coming from a country (the Netherlands) with so much light pollution, this marked the first time the photographer had seen the Milky Way so clearly. The red glow in the sky is from the extraordinary atmosphere during the lunar eclipse – an experience Dros said he would never forget. This shot is a panorama comprised of three vertical shots. (Photo by Albert Dros/National Maritime Museum)
Aurora over Laksvatn Fjord, Laksvatn, Norway. The aurora borealis dances in the skies over the town of Laksvatn, with the Milky Way to the left. The image is a single shot with no compositing, only post-processing to bring out the aurora, and some colour corrections. The photographer Matt Walford said: “I love the way the northern lights look like they are just wistfully dancing over the fjord, framed by the mountains on either side”. (Photo by Matt Walford/National Maritime Museum)
Polaris over Mount Hood, Oregon, US. The north star, Polaris, lines up almost perfectly with Mount Hood and reflects symmetrically in the beautifully serene Trillium lake. The photographer, Garrett Suhrie, used a 20-minute exposure to create the star trails charting the rotation of the Earth, that add further symmetry to the image. (Photo by Garrett Suhrie/National Maritime Museum)
The Horsehead Nebula, La Jonquera, Spain. Situated in the constellation of Orion approximately 1,500 light years from Earth is the Horsehead nebula or Barnard 33. The appearance of its swirling cloud of dust and gases resemble a horse’s head, making it a popular target for astrophotographers and one of the most recognisable nebulas. (Photo by José Jiménez Priego/National Maritime Museum)