The Royal Museums Greenwich has an annual competition that pits the year's best astronomy photos against each other. In its sixth year, the photos are just as breathtaking as each generation that have come before them. According to the organization, there were over 2700 submissions coming from sixty countries across the globe. They state that "it's been the toughest year yet for our judges," and looking at a selection from the shortlist below, it's easy to see why they're having so much trouble. They'll announce the winner on September 17th, but you needn't wait until then to see the selection.

The team at Royal Museums Greenwich might have had some difficulties whittling the list to the point it's currently at, but it must have been even harder for the team from ThinkTank to narrow that list down to a "top nine". They say in the title of their clip that these nine photos "will blow your mind," and it's easy to see why. These aren't photos taken from space telescopes — they're taken by people like you and me, right here on Earth. Part of what makes these pictures so special is seeing these celestial features coupled with settings that we can relate to.

Check out the clip below, and let us know what you think. Be sure to share this post with your friends on Facebook!