Revellers take a break during the Carnival 2016 parade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, February 8, 2016. (Photo by Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters)

A man walks on the Cobb as storm waves break behind on December 13, 2011 in Lyme Regis, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Waves breaking at Killiney Beach, Co Dublin, Ireland on Sunday, October 20, 2024. (Photo by Stephen Collins/Collins Photos)

A pair of gloved hands are dwarfed by the furry paws of Boris the Polar Bear at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's animal health care hospital Saturday, February 23, 2013 in Tacoma, Washington. (Dean J. Koepfler/Tacoma News Tribune/MCT)

“Nature is beautiful and amazing – i just point my camera at it”. – Black Cat. Photo: “I really need a manicure”! (Photo by Black Cat)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights cheerleaders perform during a game against the Connecticut Huskies at High Point Solutions Stadium on October 6, 2012 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Connecticut 19-3. (Photo by Rich Schultz)

A South Korean military vehicle drives past barricades at the military check point, near the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating South and North Korea on December 20, 2011 in Paju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/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)