Every year, Greenwichs Royal Observatory considers photos of the cosmos for its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

The 16th rendition of the contest does not disappoint.

But if youre not, you’ve got the option to check out the shortlisted finalists below.

A sunspot is shown here erupting on the surface of the Sun.

A sunspot is shown here erupting on the surface of the Sun.Image: Wenlian Li

The Milky Way also appears in the background.

A Whale Sailing the Sun

This strikingly detailed image reveals the Suns surface.

The shot reminds me a bit of the landscapes in Courage the Cowardly Doganyone else?

A Cosmic Firework The Geminid Meteor Shower

© Jakob Sahner

Ancestral Rocks

These rock formations are located in a caldera in the Canary Islands Teide National Park.

Behind the formations is the arc of the Milky Way.

Arctic Dragon

Per the title, the aurora above Icelands Arctic Henge resembles a bright green dragon.

A Milky Way Mimic

© Kevin Morefield

Earth and Milky Way Galaxy Show

A volcanic crater in Japan, the Milky Way above it.

Hunters Moon and the ISS

Octobers full moon is also called a Hunters Moon.

In the foreground of the natural satellite is the International Space Station (bottom right).

A Night With The Valkyries

© Jose Miguel Picon Chimelis

Misty Mountains

The Pelican Nebulas dust and gas structures, seen through a telescope in Hungary.

Martian Dementors

The Martian landscape as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The image abstracts the landscape to the point that the terrain looks like a chunk of some menacing creature.

A Whale Sailing The Sun

© Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau

Saturn with Six Moons

Behold Saturn, the ringed planet, accompanied by six of its moons.

To the left, you’re free to spot Rhea, Enceladus, and Mimas as tiny specks.

Solar Pulsation

A sunspot is shown here erupting on the surface of the Sun.

Abandoned House

© Stefan Liebermann

Sunspots are darker regions on the Suns surface associated with the stars magnetic field.

The Dance of Jupiters Moons

Jupiter with its moons Io and Ganymede.

Io is a compelling research target for scientists, given itsdesolate and volcano-covered landscape.

Ancestral Rocks

© Andrea Curzi

The Fire-Spitting Dragon

Heres another aurora reminiscent of a mythical flying serpent.

Total Solar Eclipse

An arguably obligatory image of a total solar eclipse.

News from the future, delivered to your present.

Arctic Dragon

© Carina Letelier Baeza

Starliner Is Back on Earth, but Its Crew Remains in Space.

Whats Next for Boeing and NASA?

Auroral Touch The Milky Way’s Close Encounter

© Chester Hall-Fernandez

Cosmos In Reflection

© Jianfeng Dai

Earth And Milky Way Galaxy Show

© Yoshiki Abe

Gum 12 The Gum Nebula (vela Supernova Remnant)

© Charles Pevsner

Hunter’s Moon And The Iss

© Tom Glenn

M81, A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy

© Holden Aimar

M100 (the Blowdryer Galaxy) And Ceres

© Damon Mitchell Scotting

The Scream Of A Dying Star

© Yann Sainty

Misty Mountains

© Bence Tóth

Martian Dementors

© Leonardo Di Maggio

Observations At Night

© Jakob Sahner

Run To Carina

© Vikas Chander

Saturn With Six Moons

© Andy Casely

Serpentine

© Paul Haworth

The Blue Details Of M45 The Pleiades

© Sándor Biliczki

The Dance Of Jupiter’s Moons

© Marco Lorenzi

The Fire Spitting Dragon

© Moritz Telser

The Galaxy Devourer

© ShaRa

The Inner Dust Lanes Of M104 (the Sombrero Galaxy)

© Kevin Morefield

The International Space Station Daytime Moon Transit

© Kelvin Hennessy

The Palette Of The Himalayas

© Geshuang Chen

Total Solar Eclipse

© Gwenaël Blanck

Nasa Astronauts Williams Wilmore

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick with Oleg and Nokolai on the Orlan Lights and TV

Boeing Starliner Undocking Iss

The American flag pictured inside the Starliner spacecraft

Astronauts on board the International Space Station watch a Star Wars movie in 2017

The Starliner spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port.

Predator Badlands

Jblflip6

Eufysolocam

Alicia Witt in Urban Legend

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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Sharks

Predator Badlands

Jblflip6

Eufysolocam

Alicia Witt in Urban Legend

An image of a small disposable vape with a green case and mouth piece and visible oil in a clear container.

An image of a hand holding a black vape with a vibrant blue chamber where you can faintly see a laser.

Framework 13 Laptop 1 Hero

Samsung Odyssey 3d 6