Lagoon Nebula by Ivan Eder

Image: © Ivan Eder.
Image: © Ivan Eder.

New stars are formed in the undulating clouds of M8, also commonly referred to as the Lagoon Nebula, situated some 5,000 light years from our planet. This image, by Ivan Eder from Hungary, is one of the shortlisted images in this year’s Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

The winners of the competition’s nine categories and two special prizes will be announced on Thursday 15th September at a special award ceremony at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. A free exhibition featuring the winning images will open at the Observatory’s Astronomy Centre on Saturday 17 September.

A record number of more than 4500 entries were received from astrophotographers in over 80 countries. See tips on getting started in astrophotography from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year judges.