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)

Members of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute team perform during the Bethpage Air Show as part of a Memorial Day event at Jones Beach on Long Island, New York, U.S., May 25, 2019. (Photo by Johnny Milano/Reuters)

Russian Emergency Situations employees help a girl to bath in the icy water on Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Friday, January 18, 2019. Across Russia, the devout and the daring are observing the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers. Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God through his baptism in the River Jordan. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

People pose for photos in the snow in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., December 2, 2019. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Copperhead ridden by Harry Cobden falls during the RSA Insurance Novices' Chase (Grade 1) at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 11, 2020 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Tom Jenkins/The Guardian)

Health workers wearing face masks spray disinfectant liquid on sacrificial animals amid concerns over the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the pandemic COVID-19 disease ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha at an animal market in Hyderabad, southern Pakistan, 21 July 2020. (Photo by Nadeem Khawar/EPA/EFE)

Members of the Radio City Rockettes rehearse for the “2022 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes” in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., October 19, 2022. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Dave Woods, 47, waits on an overpass in support for trucks driving in a convoy bound for the nation's capital to protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Wabash Township, Illinois, U.S. March 1, 2022. (Photo by Cheney Orr/Reuters)