Now in its sixteenth year, the Astronomy Photographer of The Year 2024 competition is the highest profile in the world for astrophotographers. Here is the winner.

After examining an ancient Hindu text called the Rig Veda, they discovered the earliest known reference to a total solar eclipse that occurred about 6,000 years ago. The Rig Veda is a collection of hymns and quotes from various schools of religion and philosophy.

Baily's beads, a galaxy shot from Namibia and a nebula that took 260 hours to capture are among winners.

The phases of Venus, the Aurora Australis and the International Space Station transiting the Sun all feature as category winners in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

The winners include far away galaxies, supernovas, aurora, the surface of the moon, as well as other stunning astral images