A peformance artist attends an election rally for Cameroon presidential candidate for the opposition Univers party, Cabral Libii in Yaounde, Cameroon 06 October 2018. Africa's oldest president Paul Biya who has been in power since 1982 is up against eight candidates when voters go to the polls 07 October 2018. 6.9 million registered voters will head to the polls but marginalised anglophone separatists in the North West and South West of the country threaten to disrupt the elections. (Photo by Nic Bothma/EPA/EFE)

Long Exposure pictures showing Mount Sinabung spewing out hot lava on August 2, 2017 in Karo, Indonesia. Sinabung located in North Sumatra Province roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since. (Photo by Albert Damanik/Barcroft Images)

In this picture taken on October 27, 2019 lightening strikes on a building during a thunderstorm in Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

An Afghan girl who practices taekwondo poses for a photo in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, October 31, 2022. The ruling Taliban have banned women from sports as well as barring them from most schooling and many realms of work. A number of women posed for an AP photographer for portraits with the equipment of the sports they loved. Though they do not necessarily wear the burqa in regular life, they chose to hide their identities with their burqas because they fear Taliban reprisals and because some of them continue to practice their sports in secret. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

Moto Stunts International put on a display showing a motorcycle riding through fire, on August 24, 2023 in West Bay, Dorset. The Melplash Agricultural Society Show, held in West Dorset, is a prominent agricultural exhibition in the South West region. Besides providing a platform for trade, visitors can also witness animal judging and gain valuable insights into food production and farming practices. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

Onokatsu in action against Ichiyamamoto during the twelfth bout of the Grand Sumo Tournament at Royal Albert Hall in London on October 15, 2025. (Photo by Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters)

The shadow of a cross is pictured as Catholic faithful arrive to attend a reenactment of the “Via Crucis” (way of the Cross) during Holy Week in Abobote, an area of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Luc Gnago/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)