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)

The Arizona State Sun Devils cheer team performs during the second half of the NCAAF game at Sun Devil Stadium on September 01, 2022 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Spot the baton: the Dutch athlete Femke Bol falls to the ground as Alexis Holmes of the US runs to victory in the mixed 4x400m relay final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on August 19, 2023. (Photo by Márton Mónus/Reuters)

Riders compete during the NETT sidecarcross championship in Middlesbrough, Britain on April 14, 2024. The daredevil sport is a branch of motocross racing in which bikes are designed to take the weight of two people. (Photo by Lee Smith/Reuters)

These are the stunning panoramic shots of some of the worlds most beautiful locations. Company AirPano travel the world photographing its wonders from above. Their shots include famous cities – such as New York, Paris and Barcelona – as well as natural marvels, like volcanoes and waterfalls. The team, which consists of 12 members – nine photographers and three tech specialists – began looking into this style of photography in 2006. Project coordinator Sergey Semenov revealed after initially working with spherical panoramas on land, the group decided to take to the skies. They made a list of the 100 Best Places on the Planet, which they hoped to photograph over the coming years. Here: Dubai. (Photo by Airpano/Caters News)

A loved-up couple have captured the moments they shared a dip-kiss in different locations around the world. Rob, 34, and Joli Switzer, 33, from Maryland, embark on a minimum of four international holidays per year to ensure that they get their unique dip-kiss photograph. Here: Rob Switzer 34 proposed to Joli 33 whilst they were on holiday in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Dipkiss Travels/Caters News Agency)

Tourists sit around a bonfire on the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana. (Photo by Yang Mengxi/Xinhua News Agency/Barcroft Media)

A staff carries a flower bouquet for a winner during the award ceremony at the 19th Asian Games at Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Center in Ningbo, China, Wednesday, September 27, 2023. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)