Best Astrophotographers on Instagram to Follow

There are Instagram accounts for photographers and artists of all types, from design- and architecture-focused photography to portraits of people and pets. One of the deepest wells in this field is astrophotography, which is pretty much anything to do with outer space: meteor showers, planets, stars, the moon, sunsets, sunrises, and more. There are probably hundreds of astrophotographers on Instagram, but here are some of the best and most prolific for you to follow right now.

Arild Heitmann is a landscape photographer located in northern Norway, where the arctic climate and terrain provide phenomenal photographic potential. Heitmann's photography consists not only of gorgeous images of the night sky, but also of breathtaking Scandinavian scenery. In addition to sharing these photographs with the world, Heitmann also provides tutorials on his website, allowing neophyte photographers to dip their toes in as well.

John Entwistle is a New Jersey-based photographer with one of the most diverse photography-centered Instagram accounts out there. Entwistle uses his Nikon D810 and D7100 cameras as well as a Mavic Pro drone to capture images of architecture, as well as nature and wildlife. Rounding out this impressive online gallery are Entwistle's masterful photographs of stars and galaxies like the Milky Way. It's safe to say this photographer has figured out how to take stop motion photography, huh?

Morteza Satafaj is one of the most mobile astrophotographers on Instagram today. A true adventurer, Satafaj has taken photos of the night sky in locales all across America, including the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico to all across the Pacific Northwest.

While there are a lot of phenomenal astrophotographers on Instagram, it's hard to compete with the legendary Hubble Space Telescope. Originally launched into orbit in 1990, the telescope has now evidently become sentient and runs this Instagram account with high resolution images of planets, galaxies, and other celestial bodies.

Daniel Sanculi, also known by his Instagram tag @thelightninja, has a massive backlog of impressive photographs and composite images. You'll find urban environs and pastoral landscapes alike in Sanculi's gallery, but the common theme is an impressive celestial background.

Babak Tafreshi is a science journalist and photographer for National Geographic. His work focuses on bridging sciences like astronomy and astrophysics with the artistic potential of night sky photography. In tandem with this mission, Tafreshi launched The World At Night, an international photography effort.

Florida-based Rob Hoovis takes full advantage of the tropical setting and his close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean to frame his beautiful photographs, most of which feature spectacular views of the night sky. Hoovis also runs Old Sparky Productions, a firm specializing in creative photography and videography for marketing purposes.

Even 4 AM in Yellowstone National Park can produce unparalleled views, and because of its lack of manmade light pollution, this is a phenomenal location for capturing impressive images of planets like Mars, galaxies like the Milky Way, and celestial events like meteor showers. Jess Santos is one of many budding astrophotographers on Instagram to have taken advantage of this glorious setting.

Despite his impressive initials, Brandon A. Yoshizawa of B.A.Y. Photography isn't located in the Bay Area, but rather about 400 miles south, in Los Angeles. This setting provides an excellent combination of urban scenery, ocean views, and a wide open sky full of stars and planets.

Astrophotographer Manuel Dietrich is based in Germany, but his work spans all across Europe, featuring night sky images from Austria, Italy, Slovenia, and more. A brand ambassador for Canon Deutschland, this young photographer and entrepreneur is already making waves.

Arnar Kristjansson is an Iceland-based astrophotographer and co-founder of the photography project Beyond the Lands. His location ensures that he has regular access to one of the most breathtaking celestial events observable from Earth: the Northern Lights.

The @karwendelbilder page is a team of German photographers dedicated to capturing the beauty of the Karwendel range in the Northern Limestone Alps in Western Europe ("bilder" means "images" in German). Although it is not one of the most active Instagram accounts out there, @karwendelbilder has a lot of potential due to its uniquely beautiful location in the Alps.

Martin is one of the more daring astrophotographers on Instagram, frequently willing to brave harsh climates in order to get the shot he needs. From harsh winter climates to scorching Death Valley, Martin's gallery is filled with photographs and composite images from all over the western United States and beyond.

This enigmatic Instagram photographer, known only as "Bill," is located in San Diego, California. Like the best astrophotographers on Instagram, @surfnsnowboard is willing to go the extra mile in order to get the shots he needs. Whether it's staying up all night to capture celestial bodies in the night sky or following the Milky Way for seventeen nights in a row, Bill puts in the work to produce great photographs and composites.

Shanan Kapene is a phenomenal astrophotographer based in New Zealand. While his photography feed incorporates a wide variety of subjects, Kapene specialized in "aurora hunting." Expect to find many unparalleled images of the Aurora Australis, also known as the "Southern Lights."

Another west coast photographer, this time based in San Fransisco, Eric Brummel takes photos of his home city as well as the surrounding landscapes. More importantly, his photos and panoramas in both regions often include breathtaking images of the night sky.

Everett Bloom is another astrophotographer who takes full advantage of national parks in order to capture unpolluted images of the night sky. One of Bloom's unique specialties is time-lapse photography, and his feed incorporates the occasional how-to video for the benefit of aspiring photographers.

Kevin Shearer has only been taking photographs for a few years, but he has already amassed a large and well-deserved following on Instagram. His gallery features composite images of beautiful landscapes and photos of stars and galaxies in the night sky. He also offers high quality prints of his photographs on his website.

Sean Parker is a travel and landscape photographer who also has a knack for capturing beautiful images of the Milky Way and other heavenly bodies. Unique among astrophotographers, Parker guarantees that none of his images are composites, but true photographs. Composites are used to great effect in the galleries of many astrophotographers on Instagram, but it's refreshing to see what can be shown in a single photograph.

Peru-based photographer Sergio Vindas has an impressive feed filled with unbelievable images of landscapes in Peru, and all across the western hemisphere. While he describes himself as a landscape photographer, the night sky features heavily in his photographs as well, and the images are certainly beautiful enough to satisfy any astronomy enthusiast, as well as possibly putting some of the other landscapes photographers to follow on Instagram to shame.