15 mesmerising astronomy photos that will transport you to space

We may never be rich enough to afford a trip into space, but that doesn’t mean we can’t gaze longingly at it from afar.

Here to facilitate some intergalactic contemplation is the shortlist for the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards(opens in a new tab), which has been whittled down from over 4,000 entries. London’s Royal Observatory Greenwich runs the annual contest, with winners set to be announced on Sept. 14 across categories ranging from aurorae to galaxies.

We love a jaw-dropping view of the cosmos, so we’ve picked out 15 of the shortlisted images below to give you a flavour.

“The Northern Lights above the famous Icelandic mountain, Vestrahorn.”
Credit: Lorenzo Ranieri Tenti

“The Northern Lights over the Great Pollet Sea Arch, Ireland captured as the Moon set.”
Credit: Brendan Alexander

“The Veil Nebula is a supernova remnant in the Cygnus constellation.”
Credit: Jia You

“NGC 1097 is a barred spiral galaxy 50 million light years away.”
Credit: Mark Hanson; Mike Selby

“This is a composite of an image of the Moon 78% illuminated and an image of the full Moon.”
Credit: Rich Addis

“Composite image of three exposures showing the sunset on 1 August 2022 in Rafaela, Argentina.”
Credit: Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau

“The Sun photographed moving towards its maximum cycle.”
Credit: Mehmet Ergün

“Photograph of the Sun taken from a 27-minute timelapse of a solar, flare which took place on 30 April 2022.”
Credit: Miguel Claro

“This photograph was taken at Dolbadarn Castle, a late 12th-century castle located above Llanberis in the heart of Eryri.”
Credit: Robert Price

“A photograph of Saturn at opposition, the view captures the ring system and coloured bands and zones in its atmosphere.”
Credit: Damian Peach

“Jupiter flanked by two of its many moons, Io and Europa.”
Credit: Damian Peach

“This image shows Comet 2022 E3 soaring over Mount Etna, Sicily as volcanic vapours sweep over the crater.”
Credit: Dario Giannobile

“The Milky Way taken from the top of Pain de Sucre, on the French-Italian border.”
Credit: Jeff Graphy

“The Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) is a supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Gemini.”
Credit: Peter Larkin

“RCW58 is a Wolf Rayet bubble nebula.”
Credit: Mark Hanson; Mike Selby

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards exhibition opens on Sept. 16. Tickets are available online(opens in a new tab).