A man watches a wave hit a rock pool at Curl Curl beach as large swell hits the East Coast of Australia on June 6, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Torrential rain over the weekend saw streets and homes flooded while wind gusts up to 120km per hour brought down trees and powerlines. A king tide has also seen beachside homes evacuated on Sydney's northern beaches as large waves erode the coast. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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)

One of the poor families collecting firewood from the street and the burn to feel some warmth in Aleppo, Syria on August 19, 2016. (Photo by Basem Ayoubi/Imageslive/ZUMA Press/Splash News)

A man wearing a water-filled helmet in which a goldfish swims performs an act titled “Aquaman” during the Night Festival 2016 in Singapore, 20 August 2016. The ninth edition of the festival will run from 19 to 27 August and features installations and performances by a range of international and local artists. (Photo by Wallace Woon/EPA)

Children dressed up as Hindu Lord Krishna pose during Janmashtami festival celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Krishna in Agartala, India August 24, 2016. (Photo by Jayanta Dey/Reuters)

Mutant vehicles on the Playa are seen as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gather for the 30th annual Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, U.S. September 3, 2016. (Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

A bronze statue of late singer Ella Fitzgerald is seen wearing a hat and protective face mask, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, outside the Metro-North Railroad Station Plaza in Yonkers, New York, U.S., November 17, 2020. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

An activist lays on the floor of a skate park during a protest against environmental destructions in Jakarta, Indonesia, 19 March 2021. Dozens of youths participated in a rally as part of the global climate strike movement demanding government to declare the climate emergency. (Photo by Mast Irham/EPA/EFE)