The competition, which is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is now in its sixth year and has received over 2,500 entries. Photo: Centre of the Heart Nebula by Ivan Eder (Hungary). Situated 7500 light years away in the “W”-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, the Heart Nebula is a vast region of glowing gas, energized by a cluster of young stars at its centre. The image depicts the central region, where dust clouds are being eroded and moulded into rugged shapes by the searing cosmic radiation. (Photo by Ivan Eder)

Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)

Former Playboy Bunny Angie Best prepares backstage ahead of her return as the iconic Bunny Mother exclusively at the Telling Tales event at Playboy Club London on September 21, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Playboy)

Groups of youngsters are still heading out on the lash in Newcastle’s city centre on October 3, 2020 despite being just minutes away from the UK’s largest single Covid outbreak – Northumbria University confirms 770 cases among students. (Photo by North News and Pictures/The Sun)

A worker puts up an advertising billboard for a recruiting company, featuring what resembles US President Donald Trump, in Zagreb, Croatia, Saturday, November 7, 2020. (Photo by Darko Bandic/AP Photo)

American model Kaia Gerber wears a creation as part of the Prada Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Thursday, February 24, 2022. (Photo by Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

Halle, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, rests after winning the Best of Opposite Sеx during the 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, U.S., May 8, 2023. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A village boy from Satla Village, Barishal swimmimg with water lilies in a canal near Barishal, Bangladesh on August 17, 2021. Every bright pink blooms is hand-picked and collected carefully by farmers to distribute in the local markets during a annual period. The flowers bloom during of the seasonal flood starting from August to November. (Photo by Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Pacific Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)