With the news right now hovering somewhere in between “downright depressing” and “Can we please leave this planet?” it’s good to explore your options by looking to the stars.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London has done just that by announcing the winners of its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. American photographer Brad Goldpaint’s image of the Milky Way above beautiful rock formations in Moab, Utah, took the top prize out of 4,200 entires from 91 countries.
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Prizes were also awarded in other categories including “Planets, Comets and Asteroids” and “Galaxies.”
See Goldpaint’s winning image and other winners below, and head to The Royal Observatory Greenwich to see more entries.
Overall Winner

Brad Goldpaint
"Transport the Soul"
Stars and Nebulae

Mario Cogo
"Corona Australis Dust Complex"
Aurorae

Nicolas Lefaudeux
"Speeding on the Aurorae Lane"
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Galaxies

Steven Mohr
"NGC 3521 — Mysterious Galaxy"
Our Sun

Nicolas Lefaudeux
"Sun King, Little King, and God of War"
Our Moon

Jordi Delpeix Borrell
"Inverted Colors of the Boundary Between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis"
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Robotic Scope

Damian Peach
"Two Comets With the Pleiades"
Skyscapes

Ferenc Szémár
"Circumpolar"
Planets, Comets and Asteroids

Martin Lewis
"The Grace of Venus"
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Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Fabian Dalpiaz
"Great Autumn Morning"
Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

Tianhong Li
"Galaxy Curtain Call Performance"
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