Contestants in the Miss International Queen, a transgender beauty pageant, in Pattaya, Thailand, on Saturday, August 24, 2024. (Photo by Andre Malerba/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

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)

A man sets himself on fire during protest rallies in front of the presidential office in Kiev, Ukraine on February 26, 2020. The man, who called himself Oleksandr Burlakov, said subsequently that his motive was to draw the attention of the authorities to his plight, related to the ownership of the land parcel. (Photo by Ihor Behus/Reuters)

People stand in the rain as they wait to enter the Martyrs' Mausoleum during a ceremony for Martyrs' Day in Yangon on July 19, 2020. Myanmar observed the 73rd anniversary of Martyrs' Day on July 19, marking the assassination of independence heroes including Aung San Suu Kyi's father, who helped end British colonial rule. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)

Chinese female troops march during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo/AFP Photo)

Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan from the T-Mobile Team is chased by eccentric german inventor Didi Senft dressed as the red devil during the stage 16 of the 92nd Tour de France between Mourenx and Pau on July 19, 2005, France. (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Two novice Buddhist monks walk alongside a basket seller to collect alms following a clerics rule of no footwear nor use of umbrellas in Mandalay, Myanmar, Friday, October 9, 2015. (Photo by Hkun Lat/AP Photo)

In a photo taken on June 5, 2017 a traffic security officer stands on duty at an intersection in Pyongyang. Officially known as traffic security officers but universally referred to as traffic ladies, they are chosen for their looks in a society that remains traditionalist in many respects. They must leave the role if they marry, and have a finite shelf-life, with compulsory retirement looming at just 26. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)