These are the most breathtaking astronomy photographs of the year

Super moons, the Northern Lights and shooting stars – these are just some of the stunning astrological phenomena that were caught on camera for this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year award.

Now in its ninth year, the competition received nearly 4000 entries from both amateurs and professional photographers, from across 91 countries. The images even included the first images of Uranus and asteroids ever submitted to judges.

2017's shortlist includes a magnificent Super Moon lighting up the night sky as it sets behind the Marmarole mountains in the Italian Dolomites; the Northern Lights dancing in rainbow colours above Tromsø Harbour in Norway and a shooting star racing across the sky over Portland in Dorset.

But the pictures do not just capture the incredible sights on our own planet – there are photographs taken across our Solar System, galaxy and universe – including the ‘ice giant’ Uranus which is 2.6 billion kilometres (at its closest) away from earth, and the relic of a star which exploded as many as 30,000 years ago and is known as the ‘Jellyfish Nebula’.

The competition is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky At Night Magazine.

The winners will be announced on September 14, 2017 at a special award ceremony at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and displayed in a free exhibition from September 16.