Royal Observatory Photo Contest 2012

Lots of great pictures submitted. Above, the overall winner, The Whirlpool Galaxy by Martin Pugh. Below, Star Icefall by Masahiro Miyasaka. I have stars on my mind because when I left the house this morning the stars were shining brightly above me for perhaps the first time since last winter -- it is now full dark at 5:15 AM, the moon was down, the clouds blown away, and I could clearly see the Pleiades almost directly over my head.