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.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year is the largest astrophotography competition in the world, and many of the incredible images submitted over the years have been captured in Australia.
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)
Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor. He fell in love with the night sky when he caught his first glimpse of Orion, aged 10.
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).
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