"It's heartening to see young people enter, then move into the main competition. That's why we have a young category, to ensure that there is a pipeline of people and that they feel welcome," he says.

"The astronomy photography community is a pretty supportive one. People are genuinely interested in what one another do, so there's a generous spirit of communication and cooperation. The sharing of ideas seems to be part of the activity at this level."

This year's competition is launched in January. In the meantime, last year's winning entries can be viewed in person at Greenwich and also online.

"On the website you can see last year's winners as well as those from years gone by, and there are lots of other resources, but we really want people to come to the gallery and see the pictures," says Bloomer. "Even on the screen, they look amazing, but when you see them shown on light boxes, they make the gallery a beautiful place to walk through."

Details of activities at the Royal Museums Greenwich, including the exhibition and Chinese astronomy events, can be found at https://www.rmg.co.uk/.

Contact the writer at julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com