Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Britain's Royal Observatory announced the winners of its annual competition for the best space photos of the year - from pictures of deep space to detailed shots of Venus passing in front of the sun earlier this year, captured by photographers around the world.

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Australian photographer Martin Pugh captured this image of the Whirlpool Galaxy which combines fine detail in the spiral arms with the faint tails of light that show its small companion galaxy being gradually torn apart by the gravity of its giant neighbour. A closer look shows even more distant galaxies visible in the background.
Australian photographer Martin Pugh captured this image of the Whirlpool Galaxy which combines fine detail in the spiral arms with the faint tails of light that show its small companion galaxy being gradually torn apart by the gravity of its giant neighbour. A closer look shows even more distant galaxies visible in the background.