Russia's Ekaterina Birlova casts a shadow on the sand as she serves to Poland during a women's beach volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, August 9, 2016. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

A bishop walks past a new street-art collage by Italian artist Maupal showing Pope Francis playing tic-tac-toe and drawing peace signs as a Swiss guard keep watches the street near the Vatican on October 19, 2016 in Rome. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi/AFP Photo)

A woman arrives at the Shinto Meiji Shrine to pray on the first day of the new year in Tokyo, Japan, January 1, 2016. (Photo by Thomas Peter/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)

A boy removes rain water from his hut after a heavy downpour in Karachi, Pakistan, 28 August 2016. Heavy monsoon rains across the country has claimed dozens of lives in last few weeks as Pakistan Meteorological Departmen office predict more rains in coming days. (Photo by Shahzaib Akber/EPA)

Love Island babe Jessica Hayes has wild night out with Ryan Mira at Bubbles Beach Club and SoHo nightclub in Liverpool, England on September 8, 2016. (Photo by Danny Ryan/iCelebTV)

A woman carries a bag with a baby while being evacuated by local emergencies ministry members in Donetsk, Ukraine, February 2, 2017. (Photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Princess Diana relaxes on the sand during a visit to the beach on the Caribbean Island of Nevis January 4, 1993. (Photo by Mark Cardwell/Reuters)