Situated 7500 light years away in the ‘W’-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, the Heart Nebula is a vast region of glowing gas, energized by a cluster of young stars at its center.
A bright meteor streaks across the magnificent night sky over the smoke-spewing Mount Bromo just one day before the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is caused by Halley’s Comet.
The stellar nursery of the Orion Nebula, 1350 light years away captured by 15-year-old Gray Olson.
The spectacular Northern Lights unfold over a fjord, in Skjervøy, Troms, Norway.
The rarely imaged core of the multiple star system, Rho Ophiuchi.
The Geminid meteor shower races over the Flatirons of Boulder, Colorado, in December 2012.
In this view of M42, more commonly known as the Orion Nebula, the photographer has emphasized the delicate veils of dust surrounding the more familiar gleaming heart of the nebula.
“So you’re made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?”
―Neil deGrasse Tyson
These photos are on the shortlist for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014, a competition and exhibition run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The winning images will be posted here on September 18.
