Astrophotos Galore: 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards

Every year, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich holds a contest for the best astrophotos. They have several categories, including Deep Space, Earth and Space, and Our Solar System.

This yearâs winners are, as always, stunning. And, if youâre a regular BA reader, some of the names will be familiar, too!

Iâm very pleased to see that my friend Adam Block won for the Deep Space category with this gorgeous shot of the young star Sh2-239:

The star itself is hidden in thick layers of dust, but itâs blowing out huge jets of gas that form the structure you see here. Adam, of course, is featured on my blog all the time, and in fact I wrote about this very image (including what's what in it as well).

The winner of the People and Space category went to Mark Gee for his fabulous picture of people silhouetted against the rising Moon that they themselves are watching:

Does that look familiar too? Itâs part of an astonishing video Mark created that I featured here in January 2013 as well. Hereâs the videoâand mind you, itâs not a time-lapse; itâs in real time:

The People and Space runner-up was a shot by Ben Canales thatâs one of my favorite photos of all time. I wonât spoil it; go here and see.

In fact, I wonât belabor all the amazing pictures here. Just go to the Royal Museums website and look at them all. I promise you, itâs time very, very well spent.