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)

Russian cadet preparing before the International Kremlin Cadet Ball in Moscow, Russia 12 December 2017. More than 1500 students from all Russian cadets school attend in Cadet Ball. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)

A young woman takes pictures of the city with her mobile phone, from the glass-floor observation platform, in the Oriental Pearl Tower, in the financial district of Shanghai, on May 9, 2019. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

This aerial photo taken on June 13, 2021 shows an image of youths, created by growing different varieties of rice, in a paddy in Shenyang, China's northeastern Liaoning province. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Valeria Ruiz, 10, from Colombia, does a cartwheel while visiting the U.S. Capitol, as Republican members of the House continue to work towards electing a new Speaker of the House in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2023. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

England supporters celebrate England's penalty and second goal as they watch the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final football match between England and Denmark, at the 4TheFans Fan Park in Manchester, northwest England on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

A person looks at a giant sculpture depicting the funerary mask of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, titled “A Meal Fit for a King” and created by Microdesk, Inc. made out of 8,300 cans of tuna which will be donated to local food banks as part of the Canstruction exhibition in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 11, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

A participant of the XIV International Ballet Competition prepares herself backstage before performing at the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)