Star Wars fan Mike Deguzman practices with a toy lightsaber after purchasing some new toys that went on sale at midnight in advance of the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York, September 4, 2015. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Of the epic landscape, the California-based photographer said: “It was an incredible moment and I'm just glad I decided that day to pick up my camera and give it a go because I don't know if I will ever get the chance again”. (Photo by Nolan Nitschke/Caters News)

A Palestinian boy herds sheep in front of the ruins of Yasser Arafat International Airport, which was bombed by Israel in the past, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip February 5, 2016. Nabil Shurafa's travel agency in Gaza was once packed with clients booking flights to London, Paris, New York or cities across the Arab world. These days, he's lucky if anyone comes in, as so few people can get out. (Photo by Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Merit Prize Winner: “A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara”. This photo of Moussa Macher, our Tuareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45-minute struggle to the top. It only took ten minutes of rolling, running, and jumping to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park World Heritage area, famous for its red sand and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder. Photo location: Summit of Tin-Merzouga, Tadrat, Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Algeria. (Photo and caption by Evan Cole/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Workers reinforce the electric pylons at a flooded area as Typhoon Nepartak approaches in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, China, July 9, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Alien-themed decorations are seen at the Alien Research Center in Hiko, September 19, 2019. Scores of UFO enthusiasts converged on rural Nevada for a pilgrimage of sorts to the U.S. installation known as Area 51, long rumored to house government secrets about alien life, as law enforcement officials beefed up security around the military base. (Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform before the game against the New England Patriots in Arlington, Texas on October 1, 2023. (Photo by Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports)

A CatCon attendee poses at CatCon LA 2023 at Pasadena Convention Center on August 06, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sarah Morris/Getty Images)