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.

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)

A young woman cools herself in a fountain in Budapest, Hungary July 6, 2015. Over the weekend, a heat wave has reached Hungary with temperatures topping 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit). (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

Brides and grooms sit on top of an Indonesian Army vehicle during a mass wedding ceremony organized in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, January 28, 2015. More than 5000 couples participated on a mass wedding ceremony to legalized the previous religious marriage ceremonies. Most of the couples have not officially registered their marriage for economic reasons as it cost up to 500,000 IDR (35 euro) to legalized a marriage. The ceremony organized by Rajawali Foundation. (Photo by Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo)

“Himalayan Dog”. This dog just appeared out of nowhere and followed us for an entire week during our trekking trip in the Himalayan outback. He always used to sleep in front of our tent and guarded us in the nights. When I decided to get up at 4 a.m. to climb the next 5000 m peak for sunrise he accompanied me as well. On the top he was sitting for the entire 30 minutes on this place looking straight into the countryside. Photo location: Ladakh, India. (Photo and caption by Sebastian Wahlhuetter/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Autos sit on top of each other in a washed out section of Dog Track Road in the Millview community as Gulf Coast residents continue cleaning up from damage caused by torrential rains in Pensacola, Fla., Thursday, May 1, 2014. The National Weather Service, estimated 15-20 inches of rain has fallen in the Pensacola area in the past 2 days. (Photo by G. M. Andrews/AP Photo)

Here's a vehicle for the one percent. Dubbed as “the world's most luxurious RV” the 40-foot-long EleMMent Palazzo costs a staggering $3million USD – or more depending on the client's personal choices. If the buyer wishes to add a “top of the range” Model D stereo system with “gold remote control” the cost will be bumped by around $200,000. A “home theatre” could add $60,000 but this time the gold remote will be another $6,000. (Photo by Splash News)

UK “Ex On The Beach” star Chloe Goodman had a huge fashion disaster at a London Fashion Week event in Chelsea last night September 21, 2016, when her Christian Louboutin heel got caught in a metal grate. The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate looked embarrassed whilst trying to get her heel back after the disaster as well as cupping her top to avoid a second wardrobe malfunction. (Photo by XposurePhotos.com)