hmm - didn't expect to win (and feel slightly like i cheated by putting in a shot of the moon...), but thanks for my votes and feedback.
i went for 'astrostars' purely because i felt it was
slightly sharper than 'stars at night', although both shots were good.
as for the next month's theme - i was thinking of smoke? for example:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sm...ELHL0AXN-YH4BQ
any huge objections to this? it's something i'd be keen to have a go at