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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American photographer Robert Franke used narrowband filters to increase the detail in this image of the 'Witch's Broom' nebula - the remnants of an ancient explosion in deep space. Part of the Veil Nebula, the ‘Witch’s Broom’ is the glowing debris from a supernova explosion – the violent death of a massive star. Although the supernova occurred several thousand years ago, the gaseous debris is still expanding outwards, producing this vast ... more
American photographer Robert Franke used narrowband filters to increase the detail in this image of the 'Witch's Broom' nebula - the remnants of an ancient explosion in deep space. Part of the Veil Nebula, the ‘Witch’s Broom’ is the glowing debris from a supernova explosion – the violent death of a massive star. Although the supernova occurred several thousand years ago, the gaseous debris is still expanding outwards, producing this vast cloud-like structure. less