IIAPY 2018: winners announced
We present the winners of the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 competition.
IIAPY is the world's premier astrophotography competition, each year welcoming thousands of entries from astrophotographers across the globe.
2018 saw over 4,200 entries from 911 photographers, including 186 images from young photographers aged 15 and under.
Find out who won the overall prize this year - plus the winners of each category - in our gallery below. Plus, pick up a copy of the November issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine to see the 2018 runner-up and highly commended images.
The winning images are available to view in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum from 24 October 2018 - 5 May 2019.
Overall winner (Category: People & Space)
Transport the Soul, by Brad Goldpaint (US)
Moab, Utah, USA, 20 May 2017
Equipment: Nikon D810 DLSR camera, 14mm f/4.0 lens.
Aurorae
Speeding on the Aurora Lane, by Nicolas Lefaudeux (France)
Sirkka, Finland, 30 March 2017
Equipment: Sony ILCE-7S2 camera, 20mm f/1.4 lens.
Galaxies
NGC 3521, Mysterious Galaxy, by Steve Mohr (Australia)
Carrapooee, Victoria, Australia, 13 February 2018
Equipment: CDK 12.5-inch astrograph, Astro-Physics 900GTO mount, Baader 2,541mm f/8 lens.
Our Moon
Inverted Colours of the Boundary Between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis, by Jordi Delpeix Borrell (Spain)
L’Ametlla del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain, 6 December 2017
Equipment: ZWO ASI224MC camera, Celestron EdgeHD 14 Schmidt-Cassegrain, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount, 4,200mm f/12 lens.
Our Sun
Sun King, Little King and God of War, by Nicolas Lefaudeux (France)
Unity, Oregon, US, 21 August 2017
Equipment: Nikon D810 DSLR camera, Nikkor 105mm f/1.4 AF-S ED lens.
Stars & Nebulae
Corona Australis Dust Complex, by Mario Cogo (Italy)
Tivoli Southern Sky Guest Farm, Namibia, 18 August 2017
Equipment: Canon EOS 6D cooling CDS modified DSLR camera, Takahashi FSQ-106 ED refractor, Astro-Physics 1200GTO mount, 530mm f/5 lens.
Planets, Comets & Asteroids
The Grace of Venus, by Martin Lewis (UK)
St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, 15 March 2017
Equipment: ZWO ASI174MM camera, home-made 444mm (17.5-inch) Dobsonian, home-made equatorial tracking platform, Astronomik 807nm IR filter, f/28 lens.
Skyscapes
Circumpolar, by Ferenc Szémár (Hungary)
Galyatetö, Hungary, 17 February 2018
Equipment: Sony SLT-A99V DSLR camera, Minolta 80-200 135mm f/2.8 lens.
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
Great Autumn Morning, by Fabian Dalpiaz (aged 15, Italy)
Alpe di Siusi, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, 16 October 2017
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR camera, 50mm panorama f/2 lens.
Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer
Galaxy Curtain Call Performance, by Tianhong Li (China)
Ming’antu, China, 23 September 2017
Equipment: Nikon D810A DSLR camera, 35mm f/2 lens.
Robotic Scope
Two Comets with the Pleiades, by Damian Peach (UK)
Remote Astronomical Society Observatory, Mayhill, New Mexico, US, 19 September 2017
Equipment: SBIG STL11000M CCD camera, Takahashi FSQ-106 ED refractor, Paramount ME mount, 530mm f/5 lens.