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)

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)

Hosts Miranda Cosgrove and Rob Gronkowski perform during the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, U.S., April 9, 2022. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

A Ukrainian girl plays with balloons with the colours of her country's flag aboard the Corsica Linea ferry “Mediterranee” in Marseille, southern France, on April 26, 2022. Anna and her children enjoy the sun on the deck of a ferry moored in Marseille: they are not vacationers but Ukrainian refugees who, on this boat, have finally found safety, “like in a village”, with 700 others compatriots. The “Mediterranean” usually serves Algeria, for the Corsica Linea. But it is now docked, at the Joliette ferry terminal in Marseille, with its unusual passengers. (Photo by Nicolas Tucat/AFP Photo)

Students from Cambridge University make their way home after celebrating the end of the academic year at a May Ball in Trinity College on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. The first official May Ball in Trinity College's grounds was held in 1866 with the tradition quickly spreading to the other colleges. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)

Transgender Kendra Ferrari, 21, performs during Miss Night Queen beauty contest in Guatemala City, Friday, June 15, 2012. Ferrari won the pageant and will represent the transgender community for one year. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

Inspired by traditional Indian travelling photography studios, Arthur Crestani photographed the inhabitants of Gurgaon, a city built almost entirely by private companies. Arthur Crestani’s “Bad City Dreams” contrasts the glossy ideal sold by developers with urban reality. Here: Luxury Living Bhiwadi: “Sky Club on 18th Floor”. (Photo by Arthur Crestani/The Guardian)

Aurora Australis from Beerbarrel Beach, by James Stone. Runner Up: Aurorae. (Photo by James Stone/Astronomy Photographer of the Year)