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)

Olga Fatkulina of the Russian Olympic Committee flops onto the infield after finishing her heat in the women's speedskating 1,000-meter finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, February 17, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

Ketula Melo from the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school performs during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Girls in red neckerchiefs dance on Red Square, with the GUM, the State Department Store and the Historical Museum in the background, during a ceremony to celebrate joining the Pioneers organization and 100th anniversary of the All-Union Pioneer Organization, in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, May 22, 2022. Pro-Communist Russians are trying to preserve the Young Pioneers, which used to be the Communist league for pre-teens in the Soviet Union. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)

A picture taken on June 3, 2022 shows a unique albinos Galapagos giant tortoise baby, born on May 1, at the Tropicarium of Servion, western Switzerland. Albinos Galapagos tortoises have never been observed in captivity or in the nature. The Galapagos giant tortoises are strictly protected and are among the most endangered species among CITES-listed animals. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP Photo)

Valik Vladimirovich plays dressed as a soldier in Stoyanka outskirts Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, May 30, 2022. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

Afghan girls ride a donkey along a street in Argo district at Badakhshan province on July 30, 2024. (Photo by Omer Abrar/AFP Photo)

This Thursday, June 29, 2023, image provided by Virgin Galactic shows the Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered spaceplane during a research flight before gliding back down to Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. With the research flight complete, Virgin Galactic plans to begin commercial flights with paying ticket holders in August. (Photo by Virgin Galactic via AP Photo)