The Royal Observatory just announced its Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2013 winners.
Australian photographer Mark Gee was chosen among a thousand amateur and professional photographers around the globe to win the top title.
His work is part of an exhibition of the winning photographers, which opened on Sept. 19 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
The Royal Observatory shared with us the winners and notable mentions of the competition. Their descriptions of the prizewinners can be found below the images.
Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer: "Venus Transit, Foxhunters Grave, Welsh Highlands" by Sam Cornwell, U.K.
"For those lucky enough to see it, the transit of Venus was one of the astronomical highlights of 2012. As the Planet took just six hours to cross the face of the Sun, cloudy weather was a potential disaster for observers — the next transit will not take place until 2117. Here, the final moments of the transit are revealed by a chance gap in the clouds, allowing the photographer to capture the picture of a lifetime. Extreme care should always be taken when photographing the Sun as its heat and light can easily cause blindness and damage digital cameras. Specialist solar filters are available to allow photography and observations to be carried out safely."
Robotic Scope Image of the Year: "The Trapezium Cluster and Surrounding Nebula" by László Francsics, Hungary.
"The great Orion Nebula is often described as a 'stellar nursery' because of the huge number of stars which are being created within its clouds of dust and glowing gas. As dense clumps of gas collapse under their own gravity any remaining debris settles into a dark disc surrounding each newly-formed star. One of these 'protoplanetary discs' can be seen silhouetted against the bright background of glowing gas in the central star cluster of this image. Within the disc, material will condense still further, as planets, moons, asteroids and comets begin to form around the star."
People and Space Runner-Up: "Hi.Hello" by Ben Canales, U.S.A.
"Appearing like a column of smoke rising from the horizon, a dark lane of dust marks the plane of the Milky Way in this photograph. This dust plays a vital role in the life story of our galaxy. Formed from the ashes of dead and dying stars, the dust clouds are also the regions in which new stars will form."
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