The rural nature of much of Australia makes it a fantastic place for astrophotography, while its southern skies offer a whole new experience for those of us who normally do our stargazing north of the equator.
Below we take a look at some of the competition’s best astrophotos from down under.
Crescent Moon over Mount Banks Luke Tscharke, Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia, 6 March 2016. Equipment: Sony A7R Mark II camera, 14mm lens. (IIAPY 2017 category: Skyscapes)
NGC 2170: Dust and Reflections Steven Mohr, Central Victoria, Australia, 3 March 2017. Equipment: SBIG STXL-11002 Mono CCD camera Planewave CDK-12.5 12.5-inch f/8 reflector, Astro-physics AP900 mount. (IIAPY 2017 category: Stars & Nebulae)
Tarantula Colours Diego Colonnello, Victoria, Australia, 10 February 2017. Equipment: QHY95 mono CCD camera, Saxon 300 mm f/5 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount. (IIAPY 2017 category: Best Newcomer)
Uluru under the Milky Way Toi Wu Yip, Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia, 7 July 2016. Equipment: Canon EOS 6D camera, 20mm lens. (IIAPY 2017 cateogry: Best Newcomer).
NGC 3521 Steven Mohr, Carrapooee, Victoria, Australia, 13 February 2018. Equipment: SBIG STXL-11000 camera, PlaneWave CDK 12.5 telescope, Astro Physics 900 mount. (IIAPY 2018 category: Galaxies)
Solar Swirl in Ha Light Edward Dobosz, Sydney, Australia, 24 April 2017. Equipment: Basler acA1920-155um camera, Explorer Scientific ES127mm refractor. (IIAPY 2018 category: Our Sun).
Keeper of the Light James Stone, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia, 21 July 2017. Equipment: Nikon D750 camera, 15 mm lens. (IIAPY 2018 category: People & Space).
Globular Cluster NGC 6752 Roger Hutchinson, Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia, 16 July 2017. Equipment: FLI PL6303E CCD camera, PlaneWave CDK 510mm telescope, PlaneWave Ascension 200HR. (IIAPY 2018 category: Robotic Scope).
Carina Nebula Clouds Diego Colonnello, Melbourne, Australia, 30 December 2017. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600 mm Cool camera, Sidereal Trading Mod 10-inch f/4 Newtonian. (IIAPY 2018 category: Stars & Nebulae)
NGC 104 Globular Cluster Terry Robison, Carapooee, Victoria, Australia, 14 July 2017. Equipment: SBIG STL-11000 camera, RC Optical Systems 10-inch telescope, AP-900 mount. (IIAPY 2018 category: Stars & Nebulae)
The Cave, the Roar and its Echoes Josep Drudis, Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, 19 February 2017. Equipment: SBIG STX16803 camera, PlaneWave CDK 20-inch telescope, PlaneWave Ascension 200h mount. (IIAPY 2018 category: Stars & Nebulae)
The Eta Carinae Nebula Logan Nicholson, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia, 16 December 2017. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D camera, Takahashi MT-160 telescope, Celestron CGEM mount. (IIAPY 2018 category: Stars & Nebulae)
