The Al-Gaffal is an annual long-distance race between crews sailing 60-ft. traditional wooden boats called dhows and takes place in the Persian Gulf, between the island of Sir Bu Nair, near the Iranian coast and the Gulf emirate of Dubai. Photo: Traditional wooden boats, or dhows, compete at sunrise during the Al Gaffal race, a long-distance dhow sailing race, near Sir Bu Nuayr, near Sharjah May 18, 2014. (Photo by Martin Dokoupil/Reuters)

“These are the mind-blowing artworks of one professor who has dedicated his professional life to studying and generating a series of dizzying optical illusions. Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, from Ritsumseikan University, in Kyoto, Japan, has spent more than a decade creating his collecting of stomach-churning works. His designs have been used by the likes of Lady Gaga, who ran the Kitaokas work, entitled Gangaze, as the CD cover for her album Art Pop, in 2013”. – Caters News. (Photo by Akiyoshi Kitaoka/Caters News)

Machu Picchu, Peru. A llama’s-eye view of the legendary Inca settlement at Machu Picchu, isolated high in the Peruvian Andes. (Photo by Jim Turner/National Geographic)

With the humpback calving season drawing to a close, here’s a look at some of Rita Kluge’s distinctive marine photos from the south Pacific. The Sydney-based photographer fell in love with whales after witnessing southern rights from the New South Wales coastline as they travelled to and from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic. She has since been to Tonga, where humpbacks breed and calf in winter months, to photograph them in the water. (Photo by Rita Kluge/The Guardian)

Four pillars of light from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) are shown reaching into the Chilean night sky in this image from ESO Photo Ambassador Fred Kamphues, on September 2, 2016. The lasers are a key part of the adaptive optics system on the VLT. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to drastically reduce the atmospheric distortion present at even the best sites in the world for astronomy, including Paranal in Chile, the home of the VLT. (Photo by F. Kamphues/ESO)

In this picture taken on Thursday, December 1, 2016, an Iranian woman covers herself with a blanket due to the cold, while visiting Khour salt lake during her tour of the Mesr desert about 305 miles (500 kilometers) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran. Deserts make up parts of Iran which have recently become tourist destination for young Iranians looking for a break on their weekend. The increase in tourists to the desert has stimulated economic growth in the area. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

Filipino Roman Catholic devotees climb the carriage to kiss and rub with their towels the image of the Black Nazarene to celebrate its feast day Monday, January 9, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. The raucous celebration drew tens of thousands of devotees in a barefoot procession that last for several hours around Manila streets and end up with several people injured. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

A female soldier from the honour guards prepares for a welcoming ceremony for Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 18, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)