A hostess sits at a restaurant with paintings depicting Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej hanging on a wall in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2016. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

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)

Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano, spews lava as it erupts on the southern island of Sicily, Italy, February 28, 2017. (Photo by Antonio Parrinello/Reuters)

Eddie Ladd and Gwyn Emberton perform as Dylan and Caitlin Thomas in “Caitlin” at the Lauriston Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland on August 25 2017. (Photo by Mary Turner/Reuters)

Scared of Heights. “Taken from the highest residential building in Asia: the Zenith in Busan. This was taken with official permission (which took me months to get) and safety measures were taken. I had to hang myself over the edge to get this shot. Not for the faint of heart! But when you’re at a height like this, the world below you just seems different. It takes away the fear one would normally have, and gives a sense of peace instead”. (Photo by Albert Dros/NatGeo Cities Travel Photographer of the Year 2017)

“Mr Big Dipper”, Nicholas Roemmelt (Denmark). A stargazer observes the constellation of the Big Dipper perfectly aligned with the window of the entrance to a large glacier cave in Engadin, Switzerland. This is a panorama of two pictures, and each is a stack of another two pictures: one for the stars and another one for the foreground, but with no composing or time blending. (Photo by Nicholas Roemmelt/National Maritime Museum/The Guardian)

U.S. players push head coach Adam Krikorian into the pool after they defeated the Netherlands in their women's water polo gold medal match during the Aquatics World Championships in Kazan, Russia, August 7, 2015. (Photo by Michael Dalder/Reuters)

Supporters of the presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressive Congress hits another supporter with a motorbike during celebrations in Kano, Nigeria March 31, 2015. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)