AURORA IN ICELAND, rocks against a starry sky, the Milky Way and water, the Horsehead Nebula, and the surface of the sun - PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR WINNING PICTURES

Astronomy Photographer of the Year is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Now in its sixth year, the competition received a record number of over 2500 entries from 51 countries.  he best of these exceptional photographs are showcased in a free exhibition in the Royal Observatory's Astronomy Centre which is open to the public from 18 September 2014 until 22 February 2015

JAMES WOODEND - The winning image was of a green aurora pictured in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park. The light reflected almost symetrically in Jokulsrlon Glacier lagoon. A complete lack of wind and currrent combine in this sheltered lagoon scene to create an arresting mirror effect giving the image a sensation of utter stillness

 

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 CHRIS MURPHY - Rock formation in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand create a stark foreground and contrast to the dusty clouds dancing acorss the Milky Way. No light pollution and a clear, crisp night afford the photographer a fantastic opportunity for this superb image

 

JULIE FLETCHER - The zodiacal light seems to rise from the horizon like a pyramid with the brilliant point of Venus at its apex. Comprised of sunlight scattered and diffused by tiny grains of dust that drift between the planets, this pale feature marks out the plane of the solar system. The stillness of the skies contrasts with the transience of the scene below, with its shifting human figures reflected in the temporary waters of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

 

BILL SNYDER - The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the night sky, but this image portrays it in a brand new light. The photographer draws the eye down to the creased and folded landscape of gas and dust at its base rather than focusing solely on the silhouette of the horsehead itself.  Bill Snyder also includes the glowing cavity surrounding a bright star situated to the lower left of the horsehead

 

 

ALEXANDRA HART - The sun's boiling surface curves away beneath us in this evocative shot that conveys the scale and violence of our star. The region of solar activity on the left could engulf the Earth several times over with room to spare. The sun's outer layers behave as a fluid, as alluded to in the image's title, and are constantly twisted

 

See more pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2760574/Shimmering-green-aurora-total-eclipse-exploding-star-Winning-images-Astronomy-Photographer-Year-revealed.html

 

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