Vintage car enthusiast Peter Bett, attends a auction at Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club on April 2, 2011 in Glamis, Scotland. Buyers from around the UK and Europe are attending the auction of cars collected by William Cunnigham. Among the many rare classics on sale is a 1939 McEvoy Steyr, thought to be the only one in existence along with a Hotchkiss Grand Sport Roadster from 1936. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)

These otherworldly images give a rare glimpse inside caves barely ever seen by the human eye. With its peculiar pools of water and strange colored sediments, the bizarre looking tunnels of the Shakuranskaya cave could be a set straight out of a science fiction film. Found in the disputed region of Abkhazia, around 75 miles outside of Sochi, Russia, it is rumored the incredible underground chambers were formed after a huge earthquake struck the area in 1892. After causing part of a nearby mountain to collapse into the Amtkel River, it is thought the dam-like affect has created a series of interconnecting underground tunnels. Here: a large pool of water inside one of the tunnels. (Photo by Vladimir Mulde/Caters News)

“Ecotricity's Greenbird vehicle, designed and piloted by Richard Jenkins, broke the land speed world record for a wind-powered vehicle in 2009. Greenbird recorded a top speed of 126.4 mph (203.4 km/h), and sustained a speed of 126.2 mph (203.1 km/h) for the required time of three seconds, beating the previous, American held, record of 116 mph (186.7 km/h), set by Bob Schumacher in the Iron Duck in March 1999 at the same location”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Richard Jenkins poses for photographs with the world's fastest wind powered land Vehicle at Science Museum on August 3, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Muay Thai boxer Nong Rose Baan Charoensuk, who is transgender, trains at a gym in Buriram province, Thailand, July 3, 2017. Born Somros Polchareon, Rose said she identified as a woman at an early age and began wearing makeup and a sports bra in the ring.(Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

An Indian journalist poses with the wax statue of American actress Kim Kardashian (L) and American actor Will Smith (R) during the launch of Madame Tussauds Delhi in New Delhi on November 30, 2017. The wax museum will be open for the visitors from 01 December on. Madame Tussauds New Delhi features 50 wax figures of personalities from the fields of sports, music, film, history and politics. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo)

A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the 40th Alpine Country Championships in Fingerhakeln_finger wrestling_ in Woernsmuehl, Germany, Thursday, May 25, 2017. Competitors battled for the title in this traditional rural sport where the winner has to pull his opponent over a marked line on the table. (Photo by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

Teams face off in the Cartier Elephant Polo Cup November 18, 2006 in Jaipur, in the Indin state of Rajasthan. Cartier hosted the event which was held to highlight the plight of the dwindling numbers of Asian elephants. Indian and international celebrities flew in the India's “Pink City” for the high society event held by the global watch and jewelry giant. The animal rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, “PETA” had planned to protest the match, saying that elephants should not be used for sport. Elephants in Jaipur are commonly used for carrying tourists at historic sites. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)