Twenty-six-year-old astronomer and film-maker, Josh Dury, from Compton Martin, has been shortlisted for Astronomy Photographer of the Year in a competition the biggest of its kind!

With over 4,000 entries, Josh’s photograph, ‘The Enigma of the North’ was shortlisted alongside just one hundred and forty others!

Speaking of his growing interest in astronomy, and with it photography, Josh commented on his achievement: “I am delighted to put the South-West on the map!

“This image was selected for this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, hosted by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich.

“The image, titled the Enigma of the North, was photographed on a visit to the outer Hebrides last year. It had always been a lifelong ambition alongside my interest in stone circles and ancient sites to visit. Callanish is a very well preserved stone circle, and by far is one of the most northerly stone circles in the United Kingdom. From previous research, it is believed this stone circle holds alignments to the moon. The stones themselves marking the extreme positions for the rising and setpoints of the moon, otherwise known as lunar standstills.

Josh explains the process of capturing the outstanding photograph: “When travelling to the Isle of Lewis, I could not help notice that clear skies were predicted. This is somewhat of a rarity for this part of the United Kingdom, which normally experiences a number of whether surges gushing across the Atlantic. So for me, and with this visit being timed around the new moon, meant it might be possible to see some of the darkest skies from the United Kingdom.

“I remember it well. I remember my AuroraAlerts on my phone going off all of a sudden. The skies were clear outside and I was a literal stone throw away from the main site at Callanish. So I walked the tracks alone under a blanket of stars until I was at the site, I can recall walking under only a few streetlights.

“I just remember being plunged into darkness. I nearly felt signs of vertigo where it almost felt as if the universe was about to come down on me. Never before had I seen the universe in such precedented detail. These words are not enough, the details intermingling through the arms of the Milky Way, with so many stars being visible in the night sky, it was actually difficult to discern the major constellations. Never before did I experience such an emotional connection with the heavens. By this point, I wanted to make my dream a reality to capture the Milky Way from the stone circle of Callanish. This was the image taken only moments later. I did not see anything at first, however, it was a few moments later, something caught the corner of my eye and I looked due North. With that, my alerts began again and before you know it, the Northern Lights were indeed visible from the most northerly fringes of the United Kingdom.

“This is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

‘Enigma of the North’ is to be displayed for a year-long exhibition at The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich London.