Gorgeous galaxies and stunning stars make up this selection of pictures from the shortlisted entries for this year’s Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year award. The winners will be announced on 15 September, and an exhibition of the winning images will be will be displayed in a free exhibition at the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Centre from 17 September. Here: “Seven Magic Points”. The rusty red swirls of the circular, iron sculpture Seven Magic Points in Brattebergan, Norway mirror the rippling aurora above. (Photo by Rune Engebø/Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016/National Maritime Museum)

A demonstrator is carried during a rally in support of a identity check draft law and against delinquency, in Santiago, Chile April 30, 2016. (Photo by Carlos Vera/Reuters)

A woman takes a selfie next to a model of Thor during the Middle East Film & Comic Con (MEFCC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, April 11, 2015. (Photo by Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo)

A Police officer reacts to protestors outside the Piet Retief Magistrates court where the five accused in the shooting of the Coka brothers on the Pampoenkraal farm appeared, Mhkondo, Mpumalanga, South Africa on April 19, 2021. (Photo by Jacques Nelles)

English singer and songwriter Dua Lipa performs during the Brit Awards 2021 at the O2 Arena, London, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (Photo by Ian West/PA Wire via AP Photo)

A resident reacts as a health worker collects a swab sample to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Colombo on July 27, 2021. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)

Children ride on the back of a truck at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib, Yemen on September 9, 2021. (Photo by Ali Owidha/Reuters)

Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow poses on the red carpet during the MTV Europe Music Awards, in Budapest, Hungary, November 14, 2021. (Photo by Marton Monus/Reuters)