Russian riot policemen beat young PREGNANT female anti-Putin activist during a protest rally against the Presidential inauguration of Vladimir Putin on May 6, 2012 in Moscow, Russia.

In this May 1, 2016 photo, a reluctant donkey is alternately pushed and pulled and enticed with carrots toward town hall in order to be dressed for the costume competition at the annual donkey festival in Otumba, Mexico state, Mexico. Otumba was an important donkey market during Spanish colonial times, standing at the crossroads of major roads leading to Mexico City, where the beasts pulled heavy loads and carried travelers. Today, however, farmers use tractors and pickup trucks, and the donkey population is in decline. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

People take part in a snowball fight in front of the Colosseum covered by snow during a snowfall in Rome, Italy, 26 February 2018. Media reports on 26 February state that extreme cold weather is forecast to hit many parts of Europe with temperatures plummeting to a possible ten year low. (Photo by Angelo Carconi/EPA/EFE)

Afghan female police cadets are seen during their graduation ceremony at Sivas Police Vocational Center Directorate in Sivas, Turkey on March 13, 2018. (Photo by Serhat Zafer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

A “Rhino Beetle” (Oryctes nasicornis) is seen in Edremit, Van, Turkiye on August 2, 2024. Named “Rhino Beetle” due to the horn on its head, this beetle is commonly found in moist areas across Europe and Turkiye. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Large waves batter the North Somerset coast at Watchet on December 22, 2024, as Storm Enol hits the UK. The storm has prompted a yellow warning from the Met office forecasting 70mph winds. (Photo by Mark Passmore/Alamy Live News)

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.

National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014. Photo: “We just want to move to search to the Leopard at that morning but we found a group of giraffes come toward a small lake and start drinking it was a nice moment when the Giraffe finish from drinking and leave a letters “S” with motion in the air”. (Photo and caption by Majed Ali/National Geographic Photography Contest)