The rotating updraft base of a supercell thunderstorm, and a rear flank downdraft containing rain and hail, backlit by the setting sun, on May 10, 2014, in Climax, Kansas, United States. To most of us, dark clouds on the horizon usually means rain – but here in Kansas, they can also signal the start of a supercell. The huge formations, also known as rotating thunderstorms, are among the most powerful weather phenomenon found over land. They can occur anywhere where the conditions are right, but are normally found in more arid climates. These awe-inspiring supercells were captured south of Climax city by storm chaser Stephen Locke. (Photo by Stephen Locke/Barcroft Media)

Bangladeshi Muslims travel on the roof of an overcrowded train as they head to their hometowns ahead of Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, September 1, 2017. The festival commemorates the story of Abraham and his readiness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, who provided a lamb to be used instead. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)

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.

Tourists use a selfie stick on the Trocadero Square, with the Eiffel Tower in background, in Paris, Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Selfie sticks have become popular among tourists because you don't have to ask strangers to take your picture, and you can capture a wide view in a selfie without showing your arm. But some people find selfie sticks obnoxious, arguing that they detract from the travel experience. (Photo by Remy de la Mauviniere/AP Photo)

Miles Van Rensselaer using everything from glass and crystal to bronze and iron, from gold and silver to tooth and bone, from steel, copper and lead to wood, clay, feather and hair. He has been fortunate enough to work – and humbled by working – with and among talented artists from all over the world. His work is his homage to these people and their vanishing ways of life, his translation of their technique, imagery, idea of “primitive” art into modern Western materials.

In this undated handout photograph from the “Inside Out Project”, a poster bearing the image of a Pakistani girl whose parents, lawyers say, were killed in a drone strike, lies in a field at an undisclosed location in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. A group of artists in Pakistan are hoping to generate “empathy” among US drone operators by placing giant posters of children in the country's troubled tribal regions. (Photo by AFP Photo)

Dai Shuqing's husband sits among adopted stray dogs at an animal shelter on December 15, 2006 in the outskirts of Xian of Shaanxi Province, China. The animal shelter, established by animal lover Dai Shuqing, is located at an abandoned warehouse which houses some 100 dogs and costs over 2,000 yuan (about US $255) per month. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

A performer wearing a lion mask performs the Ise Daikagura lion dance at the remote village of Yamanawa on February 08, 2021 in Ryuo, Japan. Ise Daikagura is a group of traditional Lion Dance performers who pray in front of farmers houses and businesses for good grain harvests and disease-free lives. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)