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)

Mug shot of De Gracy (sic) and Edward Dalton. Details unknown. Central Police Station, Sydney, around 1920. (Photo by NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive, Justice & Police Museum, Histiric Houses Trust of NSW)

The truth can never be seen right away. Only by looking from a certain angle can we view the true nature of things. At other times, only with the help of some special object can we discern order in chaos. Anamorphosis is a form of art that allows us to see an object only by viewing it from a certain angle or by using cylindrical or conical mirror. Unsurprisingly, the first person in history to ever use this type of technique was the Leonardo Da Vinci. During late Renaissance period this technique was popularized as a children’s toy. Now, however, few people use this form of imagery due to its intricacy. Istvan Orosz, born in 1951, is one of the few people who specialize in anamorphosis. In our opinion, his most stunning piece of art is the one where a shipwreck scene turns into a portrait when viewed through a cylindrical mirror. (Photo by Jonty Hurwitz)

Mug shot of William Stanley Moore, 1 May 1925, Central Police Station, Sydney. This picture appears in the Photo Supplement to the NSW Police Gazette, 28 July, 1926 captioned: “Opium dealer. Operates with large quantities of faked opium and cocaine. A wharf labourer; associates with water front thieves and drug traders”. (Photo by NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive, Justice & Police Museum, Histiric Houses Trust of NSW)

Kalei Ferrin,3, holds a sign up in support of gay rights during the San Diego gay pride parade July 16, 2011 in San Diego, California. About 200 active-duty troops and veterans from every branch of the military participated for the first time in the march as the ban on the government policy on homosexuals serving in armed forces, or “Don't ask Don't Tell”, remains in flux in the justice system. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

A member of the Community Police of the FUSDEG (United Front for the Security and Development of the State of Guerrero) poses with a weapon during events to mark the first anniversary of the force's operations in Ocotito, January 23, 2015. Based on the traditional indigenous justice system, the Community Police is made up of volunteers from different communities of Guerrero, and was created in response to the spate of violence in several locations in the state. (Photo by Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)

Bridegrooms pose for a photograph as they attend a mass wedding ceremony at Arena Corinthians soccer stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, September 26, 2015. According to the event's organizers, at least 400 couples tied the knot during a mass wedding which was organized by the Department of Justice and Citizenship of the state of Sao Paulo. (Photo by Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)

A female member of Romania's military adjusts her hat before taking part in the national day military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, December 1, 2017. Thousands of Romanian troops staged a military parade to celebrate Romania's national day, but key politicians didn't attend, signaling tensions between the president and the ruling left-wing coalition over plans to revamp the justice system. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)