“Woman with Umbrella in Rain” by Raimund von Stillfried. Artist: Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841–1934), 1870s. Commercial photography studios in Meiji-era Japan were renowned for the subtlety and refinement of their coloring techniques. This hand-tinted image of a young woman caught in a heavy rainstorm achieved its naturalistic effect by knitting together multiple strands of artifice: the greenery in the foreground was a studio prop; the flaps of the kimono were suspended by thin wires to create the impression of a strong wind; and long, diagonal marks were made on the negative to suggest streaks of rain. (Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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.

Man prepares wigs as he waits for customers in downtown Johannesburg, on August 5, 2014. Some estimates put Africa's dry hair industry at as much as $6 billion a year; Nigerian singer Muma Gee recently boasted that she spends 500,000 naira ($3,100) on a single hair piece made of 11 sets of human hair. (Photo by Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters)

Engineer Mikhail Venin works on an antenna for the Express AM8 new generation geostationary telecommunications heavy satellite at the large-sized transformed mechanical systems centre of the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems company in the Siberian town of Zheleznogorsk April 2, 2014. The Express AM6 is a new generation satellite providing services including Russian governmental and presidential mobile communication, digital television and broadcasting, according to the Reshetnev company representatives. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

Bonita the border collie sticks out in the bluebells at Kingley Vale, Chichester in West Sussex, England in the last decade of April 2024. (Photo by Trevor Adams/Matrix Pictures)

Carla Bruni attends the L' Oreal Party at the Beach of The Palais du Festival during the 51st Cannes Film Festival on May 13,1998 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage)

A mandarin duck swims through reflections of spring growth and blossom on a pond in Richmond Park in London, Britain on April 28, 2025. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

Myanmar revellers take part in celebrations on the fifth and last day marking Thingyan, a water festival which brings in the country's new year, in Yangon on April 16, 2016. The Buddhist festival of water pouring symbolizes spiritual cleansing and begin the new year free from worldly impurities with celebrants devoting the four days of Thingyan in merry making of water dousing until the eve of new year. (Photo by Romeo Gacad/AFP Photo)