Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. (Photo by Ammar Abdullah/Reuters)

An incredible clear-air lightning display from storms to the east of Noonamah, just outside Darwin on April 6, 2015. (Photo by Jacci Ingham/The Guardian)

Aurora Australis from Beerbarrel Beach, by James Stone. Runner Up: Aurorae. (Photo by James Stone/Astronomy Photographer of the Year)

It’s time to start watching for Comet PANSTARRS, one of two comets to get excited about in 2013. Photo: This image provided by NASA shoaws the comet PANSTARRS as seen from Mount Dale, Western Australia on March 5, 2013. According to NASA on March 10, it will make its closest approach to the sun about 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) away. As it continues its nightly trek across the sky, the comet may get lost in the sun's glare but should return and be visible to the naked eye by March 12. (Photo by AP Photo/NASA)

Photographer Khalid Alhammadi really has got his head in the clouds as he scales some of the Middle East’s tallest buildings to photograph iconic landmarks high above the rising mist. Khalid’s breathtaking shots over Abu Dhabi look almost otherworldly, with skyscraper tips and mosque towers poking through the eerie fog. Here: Night view of Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Khalid Alhammadi/Caters News Agency)

“Cyber Monsoon”, honorable mention in Places category. A torrential monsoon rain in Bhaktapur, Nepal. (© Anuar Patjane)

The Northern Lights glow green in a spectacular light show above a field of trees frozen solid with snow. (Photo by Jaak Sarv/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Lola, owned by Kate Hansen, of Des Moines, Iowa, waits to be judged at the annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Monday, April 25, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. The pageant kicks off the Drake Relays festivities at Drake University where a bulldog is the mascot. (Photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)