These spectacular images of the universe are the finalists in the 2016 CWAS “David Malin” awards. The annual competition, which celebrates the best astronomy images taken by Australian photographers, is part of AstroFest 2016. The winners will be announced on 16 July. An associated exhibition opens the following day at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory visitors centre, and a second exhibition will also travel to selected venues around Australia. Here: Mars and its Rival Antares and the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex. (Photo by Phil Hart/CWAS/The Guardian)

“Light From Heaven”. Taken around Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia in the morning. Photo location: East Java, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Pimpin Nagawan/National Geographic Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

A Palestinian clown wearing a face mask while entertaining children at their home during the lockdown after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jabalia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza Strip on November 18, 2020. (Photo by Mahmoud Issa/Quds Net News/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Manchester City's Ellen White reacts after a missed chance during the Women's UEFA Champions League match at the Academy Stadium in Manchester, United Kingdom on December 16, 2020. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

A man looks at the description of a sculpture depicting 17-year-old male chimpanzee Jaska, by Gillie and Mark, in London, Tuesday, September 20, 2022. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Elodie Katze, co-owner of Wild Pole Studio, performs a trick on a pole as students look on during a class at the pole dancing studio Wild Pole in Paris, France, on March 26, 2024. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

The Northern lights (aurora borealis) lights up the night sky above the Molenviergang in Aarlanderveen, the Netherlands, early on 11 May 2024. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of America has warned that the strongest geomagnetic storm for 20 years is set to hit Earth, making the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, visible at much lower geomagnetic latitudes than usual. (Photo by Josh Walet/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Athletes compete in a log carrying relay race event at Peruibe beach during the Indigenous Games, near the Tapirema community of Peruibe, Brazil, Sunday, April 23, 2023. Hundreds of Indigenous athletes gather this weekend in the south of Sao Paulo state to hold their version of the Olympic Games. They will compete for medals in archery, tug of war, athletics, Indigenous wrestling and other sports. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)