Yesterday, the winners of the fifth annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition were finally announced—and man oh man, are they stunning. Over 1,200 amateurs and pros submitted shots, ranging from stunning aurora borealis images to a panorama taken by a ten-year-old whiz kid.
The photos hail from an incredibly diverse set of locations too, including Norway, Ireland, China, and the US of A. The finalists each give a description of their process and inspiration, with more details about the equipment they used and what exactly they captured, and the site even offers some helpful how-to guides if you’re keen to give it a try.
If you’re in London, you can check out the full exhibition at the Royal Observatory’s Astronomy Center through February 23rd. The rest of us can sit and scroll while contemplating life, the universe, and everything. (This is, somewhat embarrassingly, the soundtrack that's going on in my head...)