Overall Winner: Aurora Over a Glacier Lagoon by James Woodend
Each year, the Royal Observatory Greenwich and BBC's Sky at Night magazine issue a call for the most amazing astronomy photos of the year. For 2014, they received some amazing entries, but only some would go home with top prizes. See the winners of the contest, starting with the overall winner shown
Earth and Space Runner-Up: Wind Farm Star Trails by Matt James
Matt James of Australia submitted a photo of star trails over the Capital Wind Farm on the shore of Lake George, near the town of Bungendore in Australia. Read the Full Story Here.
Deep Space Winner: Horsehead Nebula by Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder of the United States gives the Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) a new twist, looking not only at the the horse's head, but the gas and dust at its base. Read the Full Story Here.
Deep Space Runner-Up: Helix Nebula by David Fitz-Henry
David Fitz-Henry (Australia) photographed the The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), which resembles a giant eye. It lies about 700 light years from Earth, one of the closest planetary nebulas to us. Read the Full Story Here.
Our Solar System Winner: Ripples in a Pond by Alexandra Hart
Alexandra Hart of the UK captured the sun's violence and scale in this photo. The region of solar activity on the left stretches even more than several times the size of the Earth. Read the Full Story Here.
Our Solar System Runner-Up: Best of the Craters by George Tarsoudis
George Tarsoudis of Greece produced a finely-detailed photo of the crater Tycho on the moon. It stretches over 53 miles (86 km) in diameter. Read the Full Story Here.
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winner: The Horsehead Nebula by Shishir & Shashank Dholakia
Shishir & Shashank Dholakia of the United States depicted the familiar red glow that seems to flow from behind the horsehead, created by hydrogen gas ionized by neighboring stars. Read the Full Story Here.
Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year Runner-Up: New Year Over Cypress Mountain by Emmett Sparling
Emmett Sparling of Canada snapped this photo as 2013 turned over to 2014, showing stars appearing to stretch into trails as the Earth rotated below the night sky. The different colors of the stars stand out distinctly, the blue stars being younger while red ones are older, nearing the end of their lives. Read the Full Story Here.
Special Prize: People and Space Winner: Hybrid Solar Eclipse 2 by Eugen Kamenew
A rare hybrid solar eclipse took place in November 2013, in which the moon appears silhouetted against the sun's disk, not completely covering it. Eugen Kamenew of Germany caught this sight in Kenya. The photo pays tribute to Kamenew's scheduled tour guide and model, who passed away before the photo expedition took place. Read the Full Story Here.
Special Prize: People and Space: Lost Souls by Julie Fletcher
Julie Fletcher of Australia composed this evocative image of human figures below a triangle of zodiacal light with Venus at the apex. The temporary waters of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre below reflect the people. Zodiacal light is produced by sunlight reflecting on dust floating between the planets in the plane of the solar system. Read the Full Story Here.
Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer: Coastal Stairways by Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy of New Zealand photographed rock formations in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand standing in the foreground while the clouds of the Milky Way shone in the background. Read the Full Story Here.
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