“Aurora Panorama 3” by Jan R. Olsen

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2015

31 July 2015 Astronomy Now

The vivid green Northern Lights dance above Lyngenfjord, the longest fjord in Troms county Norway, tracing out the shape of the Earth’s magnetic field above the waters. The most common colour associated with aurorae, the green is produced by oxygen atoms and molecules energised by the impact of solar particles that have escaped the Sun’s atmosphere, causing them to glow brightly. Image credit: © Jan R. Olsen / Royal Museums Greenwich.
The vivid green Northern Lights dance above Lyngenfjord, the longest fjord in Troms county Norway, tracing out the shape of the Earth’s magnetic field above the waters. The most common colour associated with aurorae, the green is produced by oxygen atoms and molecules energised by the impact of solar particles that have escaped the Sun’s atmosphere, causing them to glow brightly. Image credit: © Jan R. Olsen / Royal Museums Greenwich. (Click image for full-size version.)
The Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is an annual celebration of the most beautiful and spectacular visions of the cosmos by astrophotographers worldwide. In 2015 the competition launched for its seventh year, with new categories and more prizes up for grabs. With over 2700 spectacular entries from over 60 countries, it’s been the toughest year yet for the judges.

Over the coming weeks we will feature, in no particular order, each of the final 16 selected images and winners will be announced by Royal Museums Greenwich on 17 September. The winning images are to be showcased at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in an exhibition opening 18 September.

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“M33 Core” by Michael van Doorn

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This glorious image of the core of Local Group galaxy Messier 33 (NGC 598) in the constellation Triangulum was captured from Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands by astrophotographer Michael van Doorn — winning image of the Galaxies category in the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition 2015.

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“Silk Skies” by Jamen Percy

5 October 2015 Astronomy Now

Jamen Percy’s ethereal view of an auroral display over Abisko National Park, Lapland, Sweden was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, 24mm f/1.4 lens and a 4-second, ISO 2000 exposure — winning image of the Aurorae category in the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition 2015.