People pose for photos in the snow in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., December 2, 2019. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Fans of Gimnasia de La Plata choke on tear gas during a local tournament match between Gimnasia de La Plata and Boca Juniors in La Plata, Argentina, Thursday, October 6, 2022. The match was suspended after tear gas thrown by the police outside the stadium wafted inside affecting the players as well as fans who fled to the field to avoid its effects. (Photo by Gustavo Garello/AP Photo)

Jasmine Paolini hits a forehand during her first-round US Open match on Sunday, August 24, 2025 at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ray Giubilo)

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.

“Elat’ma, the Ryazan Oblast region of Russia. This small town is only 300 kilometers (186 miles) from modern Moscow but remains 60 years in the past, dominated by the spirit of socialism. The air of the communist ‘50s can be seen in the town’s architecture, celebrations and other occurrences. But neither its beauty nor its ties to a socialist past brought photographer Anastasia Rudenko to this village. Elat’ma is unique in that it functions as a town for mentally disabled people”. – Michelle Cohan via CNN. (Photo by Anastasia Rudenko)

A female soccer player controls a ball during a training session at the Golab Trust Sport Complex in Kabul March 10, 2014. Despite decades of conflict in Afghanistan, and several recent militant attacks, the country's capital Kabul is home to a vibrant youth scene of musicians, artists, athletes and activists. Shopping malls and cafes stand in the city, which is nonetheless beset by infrastructure problems and instability. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters)

A chimpanzee relaxes in the shade at the Safari Park as the popular attraction prepares for the upcoming Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover) on April 14, 2008 in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

In this photo taken Friday, December 9, 2016, young ballerinas practice under the instruction of Kenyan ballet dancer Joel Kioko, 16, in a room at a school in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)