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.

French art director Alexis Persani has collaborated with french photographer Leo Caillard to create a series of in vogue sculptures, entitled “street stone”. The ensembles are achieved through image manipulation, using photoshop to digitally dress the statues in the latest fashion trends. Persani and Caillard created the project as a humorous take on the contrast between contemporary and classic culture, demonstrating the vast metamorphose society has undergone, and continues to.

Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice and these images capture the essence of that perfectly. Incredible ever-changing landscapes demonstrate the contrast between the freezing ice and burning skies that dominate Iceland's beauty. The stunning pictures taken by photographer Lurie Belegurschi show the breathtaking and utterly unique ice plains formed in sub-zero temperatures. (Photo by Lurie Belegurschi/Caters News)

Architectural photographer Victor Enrich has shared with ArchDaily a series of 88 images — one for every key in the classical piano — exploring the various formal possibilities of the NH Deutscher Kaiser Hotel in Munich, Germany. “I found it beautiful,” says Enrich, “to connect two distinct artistic disciplines such as photography and computer graphics with the piano.” See further illustrations and read a full description of his thought process following the break.

These poignant portraits look to shine awareness on the plight of some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems and species of wildlife. The images combine animals, art and celebrity, with Asia's top models posing with the likes of rhinos, giraffes, leopards and marine life. Here: Mikki Yao with an Asian Elephant. (Photo by Sean Lee-Davies/Caters News)

Students take part in a fashion and design entrance examination at Hubei Institute of fine Arts on February 28, 2011 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. 202 students took part in the exam and only 24, (10 percent) of them will be enrolled in Hubei Institute of fine Arts. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images). WUHAN, CHINA – FEBRUARY 28

Space Shuttle Discovery is towed from the shuttle landing facility to the orbiter processing facility at Kennedy Space Center on April 20, 2010 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Discovery's landing attempts at KSC were scrubbed yesterday due to unacceptable weather conditions. Discovery is returning from a successful mission to the International Space Station. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images). CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – APRIL 20 2010

A model showcases lingerie during a lingerie show on International Women's Day at a shopping mall on March 8, 2011 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. The official theme of International Women's Day 2011 is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images). QINGDAO, CHINA – MARCH 08 2011