Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ

Aurora over a glacier lagoon (Image: James Woodend)

This otherworldly photograph of the aurora borealis lighting up a glacial lagoon has won the top prize in this year’s .

He took this picture in Iceland’s Vatnajökull National Park, capturing the dancing aurora as it is reflected in the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. The photo’s breath-taking effect comes from the combination of Earth’s magnetic field, whose shifts shaped the arcs and loops of the aurora, and the stillness of the night, which left the lagoon’s mirror-like surface unruffled.

Over the years, the competition has received many , but this is the first time one has won the overall prize. If you would like to give it a go yourself, the Royal Museums Greenwich, which hosts the prize, has an .

Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) (Image: Bill Snyder)

This starry pink image won the competition’s . The Horsehead Nebula is no stranger to the limelight – it is one of the most photographed objects in the night sky. In this photo, the horse-shaped head almost seems to be rearing out of the dusty base of the famous nebula.

All the winning photos will be on display in a in Greenwich until 22 February, as well as in a and an .