Path to the Stars: The best pictures from the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020 Astrophotography Contest

This year, the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition gathered a record number of works — there were more than five thousand in total. The photos were taken by both amateur and professional photographers.

The Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition takes place every year. This year, contestants from 70 countries took part in the competition. The selection contains pictures of the winners. They depict distant galaxies, the starry sky and unusual atmospheric phenomena.

The image shows a young scattered star cluster in the constellation of the Serpent - the Halo Nebula.

The photo captures a cold night on the banks of the Yellowstone River.

The photographer managed to take a picture of a double star in the constellation Ophiuchus.

The Shard skyscraper in London on the background of a full moon. It took the photographer several attempts to take this picture.

In order to do this work, the author used lighting and long exposure.

This image is a composition that the photographer made using his best images of the solar system. Individual images were taken between July 2019 and February 2020.

The photo captures the stars of the Milky Way.

Northern Lights on the Lofonten Islands in Norway.

Spiral galaxy NGC 253 in the constellation Sculptor. This is one of the brightest galaxies not included in the Local Group.

The photographer and his friend, standing on the edge of the mountain peaks, look at the sky and the city of Fussen in Germany.

A fragment of the Veil nebula in the constellation Cygnus.

Not only professional photographers, but also amateurs took part in the competition.