Play-fighting cheetah siblings at the Zimanga game reserve in South Africa in the second decade of November 2024 were spotted by Gavin Bickerton-Jones, an amateur photographer, who said: “It is a bit scary at first being so close, but also a privilege for them to let you share their space”. (Photo by Gavin Bickerton-Jones/Solent News)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, of the United States, compete in the ice dance's rhythm dance segment at the ISU Grand Prix Finals of Figure Skating, Friday, December 6, 2024, in Grenoble, France. (Photo by Laurent Cipriani/AP Photo)

A model's make up picture is stuck to a mirror backstage during the Autumn/Winter Madrid's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, in Madrid, Wednesday, February 1, 2012. (Photo by Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP Photo)

Despite any political differences between the United States and Russia, the space agencies of the two countries continue their cooperative work in Earth's orbit, aboard the International Space Station. Apart from the research being done in microgravity, ISS crew members continue to send back amazing images of our home world, photographed from low Earth orbit. Gathered here are recent images of Earth from aboard the ISS, and from a handful of other NASA satellites.

After the success of their Superman series in 2013, the Canadian Mint debuted a new set of coins honouring the Man of Steel at this year's Fan Expo in Toronto. The collection is made up of three silver coins worth $10, $15 and $20, and a gold coin worth $100. Photo: Close-up of the $10 silver coin in the new Superman series from the Royal Canadian Mint. (Photo by The Canadian Press)

People line up to pay inside a Makro supermarket in Caracas, January 9, 2015. Venezuela's socialist government decreed an “economic emergency” on Friday that will expand its powers and published the first data in a year that shows the depth of a recession fueled by low oil prices and a sputtering state-led model. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Professional conceptual category winner. Greetings from Mars, by Julien Mauve, France. Mauve says: “I have always wondered what it would be like to discover a totally different world ... and to photograph it for the first time as if I was Ansel Adams. So I came up with this project, which is about space exploration and discovery. But it’s also about our behavior in front of landscapes and how we create pictures that will share our personal story with the world”. (Photo by Julien Mauve)

Dalmatian pelicans on Lake Kerkini in Greece captured over the space of one week (16-21 January 2023) by tour guide photographer Sean Weekly. The Dalmatian pelicans resemble the winged dinosaur pterodactyl as they swoop, splash and feed in the waters of Lake Kerkini in Greece. With wings outstretched, and colourful faces and beaks on display, the birds appear to be in paradise, with the awe-inspiring Kerkini mountains as a mesmerising backdrop. (Photo by Sean Weekly/Animal News Agency)