An ice swimming enthusiast dressed as Neptune takes to the frigid waters of Orankesee lake during the 27th annual "Winter Swimming in Berlin" on January 8, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. A local swimmers' group called the “Berlin Seals” invite ice swimmers from across Germany and abroad to the annual event. Members claim ice swimming is good for the body's blood circulation. (Photo by Sean Gallup)

A knife is seen beside a bowl containing blood after a ram was killed as a sacrifice in front of a shrine at the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah, Benin, January 10, 2016. In Ouidah, a small town and former slave port in the West African country of Benin, the annual voodoo festival gathers visitors from far and wide. It's a week that brings together priests and dignitaries, rich and poor, locals and visitors from as far afield as the Caribbean and France. The festival commemorates the estimated 60 million people who lost their homelands and their freedom during the African slave trade. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)

In this June 8, 2015 photo, Omkarnath, who goes by the name “Medicine Baba”, pays his reverence at a neighborhood temple as he begins his day in New Delhi, India. The chatty, 79-year-old retired blood-bank technician has been collecting unused prescription drugs from the affluent for the past eight years, and distributing whatever hasn't expired to patients who need medicines they cannot afford. (Photo by Saurabh Das/AP Photo)

Samy Rose Moshiri, an Iranian American artist and activist, covers the mouth of Belarusian activist Yadviga Krasovskaya after dousing themselves in fake blood on stage at a Freedom Rally for Iran, in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 1, 2022. (Photo by Bing Guan/Reuters)

“The Pugs of Westeros” sees Roxy, Blue and Bono playing doggy versions of the main characters, including conniving King Joffrey. The pugs’ owners, Phillip Lauer (57) and his wife Sue (47), have been dressing their pugs up as characters from cinema and TV since they were puppies. They jumped at the chance of creating a picture series based on one of their favourite shows. Sue spent two weeks just creating the Iron Throne alone but it was well worth it. (Photo by Phillip Lauer)

An employee of Paris city Hall removes padlocks clipped by lovers on the fence of the Pont des Arts over the River Seine in Paris, December 9, 2014. For years, visiting couples have hung brass padlocks on the iron grills lining the city's bridges to symbolise their undying love – they write their names on the locks, then toss the key into the Seine below. About 700,000 love locks are added every few months and Paris officials say they are damaging the bridges and threatening safety because of the added weight. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

A freighter trapped in ice is shown in this aerial photo near Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario April 7, 2015. The biggest ice cover on the Great Lakes in decades is backing up shipments of everything from Canadian grain to U.S. iron and steel in one of North America's most important economic regions. (Photo by Kenneth Armstrong/Reuters)

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)