A reveller performs during the first night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 23, 2020. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

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)

British singer-songwriter Raye (L) during The BRIT Awards 2021 at The O2 Arena on May 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by JMEnternational/JMEnternational for Brit Awards/Getty Images)

Australian model Shanina Shaik attends the Interview x Equinox party during NYFW on February 7, 2024. (Photo by Rupert Ramsay/BFA.com)

A firefighter uses a saw to open a metal gate while fighting a fire in a convenience store and residence during clashes after the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland in the early morning hours of April 28, 2015. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Dozens of contestants attend the “Bring Your Own Big Wheel” Race on Easter Sunday at Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California, United States on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Paddington Bear balloon floats down Central Park West during the 90th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2016 in New York. (Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP Photo)

In a July 14, 1967 file photo, left, National Guardsmen make their way along Market Street in Newark, N.J, after an evening of deadly rioting and looting in what came to be known as the Newark riots. In a June 16, 2017 photo, right, an ambulance drives on the same block 50 years later. (Photo by AP Photo/File, left; Julio Cortez, right)