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.

Residents cross a swelling dam, due to rising waters brought about by Typhoon Koppu, in Las Pinas city, metro Manila October 19, 2015. Powerful typhoon Koppu ploughed into the northeastern Philippines before dawn on Sunday destroying homes and displacing 10,000 people and whipping up coastal surges four meters (12 feet) high, disaster agency officials said. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Reuters)

People pass by debris from a wall in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, in Santiago, Cuba, on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Filipino barefoot Catholics carry a replica of the Black Nazarene during a procession ahead of the Black Nazarene feast day celebrations in Manila, Philippines, 07 January 2016. The procession of the Black Nazarene is expected to draw millions of barefooted Catholic devotees to Manila on 09 January, according to a Manila police official. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)

An Orangutan named “Pacquiao” and zoo owner Manny Tangco, wearing Santa costumes, embrace in front of Brown Philippine Deer while giving school children a tour ahead of the next week's Christmas celebration Thursday, December 18, 2014 in suburban Malabon city, north of Manila, Philippines. The yearly treat is aimed at encouraging residents to be sensitive to the feelings of animals especially when exploding firecrackers for the raucous celebration. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

Pakistani children cool themselves off in a stream in Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, June 29, 2015, during Muslim's fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo by Mohammad Sajjad/AP Photo)

Carved pumpkins designed by US pumpkin artist Ray Villafane are pictured during a pumpkin exhibition in Ludwigsburg, southern Germany, on September 8, 2017. (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/AFP Photo/DPA)

Visitors watch dinosaur models at Haitang Bay Rice Paddy Park on January 24, 2018 in Sanya, Hainan Province of China. The Haitang Bay Rice Paddy Park featuring 323 full-size dinosaur models was officially opened to the public on Thursday. (Photo by Yin Haiming/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)