Although not much of the Universe is visible to most of us, there is a big, wide, wonderful, breathtaking Universe out there. We can see stars and the disk of the Milky Way as specks of light.
To see deeper, and clearer, requires the use of tools, and people able to use them, like the amazingastrophotographers who are currently in the running for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
The submission of over 3,000 entries from 67 countries around the world resulted in prizes in nine categories and the grand prize being awarded to the photographer judged the best overall.
The photographs range from Spaceship Earth, against its shimmering backdrop of stars, to the Solar System, to more distant nebulae, and galaxies colliding by way of an intricate dance.
The winners won't be announced until September 15, but the announcement of the short list means that you can check out the submissions now. The universe is within us. We're made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to be aware of itself.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Some of our favorites are listed here.
There is a person named Sean Goebel.
This image was taken in the California desert and shows a timelapse of the stars forming arcs in the sky.
Polaris, the North Star, which is almost directly over the North Pole, can be seen at the center. It shines over the tallest mountain in the US, Mount Whitney.
Ignacio Bobillo is a person.
One of the largest and most beautiful clouds we can see in the sky is the Carina Nebula. The small section known as RCW 53c is often photographed in isolation.
The hydrogen and oxygen in the gas that makes up the cloud are mapped in this image.
The person isCarl Gallagher.
The Aurora borealis shines through a gap in the clouds over the wreck of the once-whaling ship Gardur.
The process of ionising and colliding particles in Earth's atmosphere is similar to the process of stellar radiation that makes clouds glow.
There is a person named Lionel Majzik.
In January of last year, a comet was discovered in the sky and grew so bright in December that it could be seen with the naked eye. The comet's atmosphere is excited by the sun's rays and produces a green glow.
The comet broke apart as it traveled around the Sun.
There is a person namedYang Sutie.
The highest national highway is in Tibet.
The glow of the Moon just set to the west illuminates Mount Kula Kangri.
There are more of these images on the website. The winners will be revealed in September.
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