The shortlisted photographs in this category explore the life and death of stars, revealing the variety of nebulae our Universe contains. We have nebulae that are shapeless, while others resemble creatures or objects we find here on Earth. A couple of images capture strange, mysterious stars, and we’re even presented with our own dusty galactic centre, surrounded by stars and star-forming regions. While immense skill is required to capture these celestial objects, technique is just part of the equation. This year’s photographers have also shown patience, perseverance and a sense of aesthetics. The choice of colours used is ultimately down to the photographers themselves. In every case, the physical nature of these stars and nebulae is enhanced to create truly spectacular images. See the stunning shortlisted and winning images below. Visit Astronomy Photographer of the Year The winning image The Eye of God by Weitang Liang Image taken in Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile "This ultra-deep exposure of the ‘Eye of God’, also known as the Helix Nebula or NGC 7293, reveals the glorious colours of the core and rarely seen surrounding details," Weitang explains. "I was very curious to enhance all the faint but high-contrast details that are never seen in other images. So, I used 30-minute sub-exposures in both H-alpha and OIII emissions throughout the observable season. Finally, I got 22.5 hours of perfect data. I tried my best to make the image ‘Hubble-like’ and was lucky enough to get this result. "The core appears in purple and cyan, creating an ethereal and dreamy feeling. The stunning orange, red and yellow outer region shows the power of the cosmos – all the matter is moving, colliding and tumbling." Equipment used: ASA N20 f/3.8 Newtonian telescope, ASA DDM85 mount, FLI Proline 16803 camera, 500 mm f/3.8, 22.5 hours total exposure The photographer has brilliantly drawn out the minute detail and vibrant colours of the Helix nebula to create this dramatic image that really captures your attention and makes it difficult to look away. Melissa Brobby, competition judge Runner-up What a Flaming Star! by Martin Cohen Image taken in Fareham, Hampshire, UK "The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405, SH 2-229 or Caldwell 31) is an emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga. It lies about 1,500 light years from Earth and is about 5 light years across," Martin Cohen says of his target. "This image was taken using narrowband (SII (singly ionized sulphur), H-alpha and OIII (doubly ionized oxygen)) filters and a very fast f/1.8 telescope setup. As a result, incredibly faint areas of dust and gas are revealed with only 4.5 hours of total exposure time (1.5 hours per filter). "I love the chaos revealed in this image. Often people see familiar shapes in them – I saw a dog in this one initially, but my wife saw a Chinese dragon! One thing I don’t see is a Flaming Star!" Equipment used: Celestron EdgeHD 11 with HyperStar v4 telescope, SkyWatcher EQ8-R Pro mount, Baader Ultra- High-Speed Narrowband filters, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, 540 mm f/1.8, 18 x 300-second exposures per filter (SII/Halpha/OIII) A stunning image of a beautiful complex of interstellar clouds of gas and dust illuminated by a hot O-type star. The nebula’s dusty filaments reflect the starlight, producing a variety of shapes and colourful wisps. Masterful image processing reveals an almost three-dimensional view of the whole scene. Yuri Beletsky, competition judge Highly commended The Centre of the Heart Nebula by Péter Feltóti Image taken in Törökkoppány, Somogy, and Halásztelek, Pest, Hungary "IC 1805 is an area of vast amounts of ionized gas and interstellar dust. The strong stellar wind of the hot stars born here blows the surrounding material outwards, creating a cave-like hollow shape in the parent gas cloud," says Péter. "Due to its shape, this area is also called the Heart Nebula. The large amount of light-emitting gas in the region means that narrowband filters are the best means of capturing it on camera." Equipment used: 200/800 SkyWatcher telescope, SkyWatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Moravian Instruments G3-16200 Mark II camera, 920 mm f/4.6, 13.5-hour exposure (H-alpha), 10-hour exposure (OIII), 10-hour exposure (SII) There are many captures of this target, but few appear unique. Stunning details, beautiful contrast of colours and a new composition are what make this image outstanding. Not only the central region, but also the surrounding regions are revealed in a panorama that shows how strong forces shape and tear apart the nebulae on a horizontal plane. László Francsics, competition judge See the full shortlist Explore all the photographs in the Stars and Nebulae category 1 / 17 Simeis 147 Supernova remnant by Artem Mironov Visit the exhibition 2 / 17 Suburbs of Carina Nebula by Ignacio Diaz Bobillo Visit the exhibition 3 / 17 The Dolphin Nebula towards a Cosmic Reef by Aleix Roig Visit the exhibition 4 / 17 The Rolling Waves of Vela by Paul Milvain Visit the exhibition 5 / 17 The Galactic Centre by Mehmet Ergün Visit the exhibition 6 / 17 The Angel Nebula (NGC 2170) by Alpha Zhang Visit the exhibition 7 / 17 WR 134 Nebula by George Chatzifrantzis Visit the exhibition 8 / 17 Rosette Nebula Core Region (NGC 2244) by Alpha Zhang Visit the exhibition 9 / 17 Sharpless 126 - The Gecko by Min Xie, Yizhou Zhang, Chen Wu and Benchu Tang Visit the exhibition 10 / 17 The Runaway Star of SH2-27 by Mathew Ludgate Visit the exhibition 11 / 17 In the Fairy Dust by Yizhou Zang, Benchu Tang, Chen Wu and Min Xie Visit the exhibition 12 / 17 Gum 12b - Clash of the Titans by Mathew Ludgate Visit the exhibition 13 / 17 Frozen Rose and Christmas Tree by Rui Liao Visit the exhibition 14 / 17 Deep Orion 36-Panel Mosaic by Rui Liao Visit the exhibition 15 / 17 Dante's Hell by Kfir Simon Visit the exhibition 16 / 17 NGC 6888 - The Crescent Nebula by Bray Falls Visit the exhibition 17 / 17 Tarantula Nebula - NGC 2070 by Yijun Huang Visit the exhibition Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition See the world's greatest space photography at the National Maritime Museum Shop Astronomy Photographer of the Year Photography Book Collection 12 £30.00 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Collection 12 is a stunning gift for admirers of astrophotography. This stunning astronomy photography book showcases the most spectacular space photography, taken from locations across the globe... Buy Now Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition Key dates, prizes and details on how to enter Astronomy Photographer of the Year Our partners