Explore the night sky with the shortlisted images in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition

This image was taken at Snettisham Beach, famous for its vast tidal mudflats that attract migrating birds in staggering numbers. The foreground subject is a dilapidated jetty, which was built in the Second World War to allow gravel extracted from the nearby pits to be moved by boat. The curved channel in the mudflat mirrors the trailing stars.

It’s been an active year so far for astronomers. We’ve had the tantalizing Northern Lights, a solar eclipse, and a close call with an asteroid.

Not to mention sky platypuses and cosmic koi carp.