by Chris McGonigal: Space looks pretty sweet right about now…

Awaken

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.

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
      "Transport the Soul"
      Brad Goldpaint
      “Transport the Soul”
    • Stars and Nebulae
      "Corona Australis Dust Complex"
      Mario Cogo
      “Corona Australis Dust Complex”
    • Aurorae
      "Speeding on the Aurorae Lane"
      Nicolas Lefaudeux
      “Speeding on the Aurorae Lane”
    • Galaxies
      "NGC 3521 — Mysterious Galaxy"
      Steven Mohr
      “NGC 3521 — Mysterious Galaxy”
    • Our Sun
      "Sun King, Little King, and God of War"
      Nicolas Lefaudeux
      “Sun King, Little King, and God of War”
    • Our Moon
      "Inverted Colors of the Boundary Between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis"
      Jordi Delpeix Borrell
      “Inverted Colors of the Boundary Between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis”
    • Robotic Scope
      "Two Comets With the Pleiades"
      Damian Peach
      “Two Comets With the Pleiades”
  • Skyscapes
    "Circumpolar"
    Ferenc Szémár
    “Circumpolar”
  • Planets, Comets and Asteroids
    "The Grace of Venus"
    Martin Lewis
    “The Grace of Venus”
  • Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
    "Great Autumn Morning"
    Fabian Dalpiaz
    “Great Autumn Morning”
  • Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer
    "Galaxy Curtain Call Performance"
    Tianhong Li
    “Galaxy Curtain Call Performance”

Source: The Huffington Post