The competition, which is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is now in its sixth year and has received over 2,500 entries. Photo: Centre of the Heart Nebula by Ivan Eder (Hungary). Situated 7500 light years away in the “W”-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, the Heart Nebula is a vast region of glowing gas, energized by a cluster of young stars at its centre. The image depicts the central region, where dust clouds are being eroded and moulded into rugged shapes by the searing cosmic radiation. (Photo by Ivan Eder)

Commended. In late May, about a quarter of a million snow geese arrive from North America to nest on Wrangel Island, in northeastern Russia. They form the world's largest breeding colony of snow geese. Photographer Sergey Gorshkov spent two months on the remote island photographing the unfolding dramas. Arctic foxes take advantage of the abundance of eggs, caching surplus eggs for leaner times. But a goose (here the gander) is easily a match for a fox, which must rely on speed and guile to steal eggs. “The battles were fairly equal”, notes Sergey, “and I only saw a fox succeed in grabbing an egg on a couple of occasions, despite many attempts”. Surprisingly, “the geese lacked any sense of community spirit”, he adds, “and never reacted when a fox harassed a neighboring pair nesting close by”. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer)

Miss World 2011 participants Miss USA, Miss Canada, Miss Mexico, Miss Guatamala, Miss Costa Rica, Miss Dominican Republic pose beside the Thames during a photocall as part of the Miss World 2011 UK Tour, on October 31, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. The tour celebrates Miss World's 60th birthday. The final of the competition will take place in Earls Court, London on Sunday 6th of November. (Photo by Ian Jones /Miss World Ltd via Getty Images)

Sophia Fernandes, a member of the Kalunga quilombo, the descendants of runaway slaves, dons traditional afro braids, during the culmination of the week-long pilgrimage and celebration for the patron saint “Nossa Senhora da Abadia” or Our Lady of Abadia, in the rural area of Cavalcante in Goias state, Brazil, Saturday, August 13, 2022. Devotees celebrate Our Lady of Abadia at this time of the year with weddings, baptisms and by crowning distinguished community members, as they maintain cultural practices originating from Africa that mix with Catholic traditions. (Photo by Eraldo Peres/AP Photo)

One of a members of the Franciscan Action Network and immigration rights activists is arrested during a demonstration calling for the end of immigrant detention on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 18, 2019. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

TVs display a reaction of Japan's Uta Abe, the gold medallist of the judo women's -52kg during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, to celebrate the victory of her brother Hifumi Abe as he wins the judo men's -66kg final at an electronics retail shop in Tokyo on July 25, 2021. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP Photo)

Children watch their classmate pour cold water on herself under the watch of a fitness coach at a local kindergarten in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, March 11, 2015. The program, which also involves sports training and sauna usage, has been practiced by the kindergarten for more than 15 years as they believe it has health benefits and keeps the children fit. Children start pouring cold water on themselves outdoors after about three years of training and undergoing medical tests, and the kindergarten is the only one in the region that practices these exercises, according to employees. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A visitor visit the “12 Labors of Putin” art exhibition on October 6, 2014 marking the 60th birthday of Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the design workshop in Moscow. (Photo by Vasily Maximov/AFP Photo)