The best astrophotos of 2013

The 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 photo contest has recently ended. This year, more than 1,200 photographs submitted from 49 countries of the world took part in the photo contest. We bring to your attention the best works of the photo contest.

Nomination "Solar system"

1. 3rd place. The sequence of rings shows an annular eclipse. Photo by Jia Hao

2. 2nd place. Sunspots the size of our Earth. Photo by Alan Friedman

3. Winner. Solar crown. Man To Hui Photos

Nomination "Deep Space"

4. 3rd place. Galaxies M81 and M82 in the constellation Ursa Major. Photo by Ivan Ede

5. Applicant. Barred spiral galaxy (type SBc) NGC 253 in the constellation Sculptor. It is located at a distance of about 8 million light years from Earth. Photo by Michael Sidoni

6. Applicant. Globular cluster Omega Centauri. It is located at a distance of 18,300 light years from us. Photo Ignacio Diaz Bobillo

7. 2nd place. Colorful clouds near Rho Ophiuchi, a double star in the constellation Ophiuchus. The red supergiant Antares is one of the brightest stars in the night sky Photo by Tom O'Donoghu

8. Winner. These structures seem immutable and eternal by human standards, but their life is fleeting on the scale of the universe. In just a few thousand years, the harsh radiation from the stars in this nebula will change the appearance of the structure beyond recognition. Photo by Adam Block

Nomination "People and Space"

9. 2nd place. Man and the Milky Way. Ben Canale Photos

10. Winner. Silhouettes against the background of the rising moon. Photo by Mark Gee

Nomination "Robotic telescope"

11. Winner. The open cluster of Orion's Trapezoid. Photo by Laszlo Francsics

Nomination "Earth and Space"

12. Applicant. The Perseid meteor shower, which appears annually in August from the constellation Perseus Photo by David Kingham

13. Challenger. Quadruple lunar halo over Spain. Photo by Dani Caxete

14. 2nd place. Northern lights in Norway. Photo by Fredrik Broms

15. 1st place and overall winner of the entire Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 photography competition. Guiding light to the stars. Photo by Mark Gee

Nomination "Young astrophotographer of the year"

16 1st Place: The Milky Way Galaxy by Jacob Marchio, 14, USA

Works in this category, highly rated by the jury of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013

17. Window District by Eric Dewar, 15, Canada

18. The Orion Nebula by Samuel Copley, 15, UK.

19 Growing Crescent by Jacob Marchio, 14, USA.