An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert. Surrounded by vast desert and distant snow topped mountains, the enormous satellite dishes, dome-shaped buildings and telescopes are run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) , an intergovernmental body dedicated to observing space. Photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza was granted access to several observatory sites.
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .
These are the amazing close up pictures of North Korea's mass games - after photographers were previously banned from taking shots so close to the dazzling formation dances .
PICKING up a tiny tea-pot with its paws, a little red squirrel struggles to prepare its morning tea .
PRANKSTER Dom Joly was so livid when he was slapped with a parking ticket that he took to Twitter to vent his anger – only to discover he was the victim of his own gag! The comic got a taste of his own medicine when he was tricked by a fellow joker for the first time in a decade .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
These are the men with one of the most unpleasant jobs in the world .
A pair of chicks bravely decided to befriend a python, despite being the snake's favourite choice of food .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
A pair of snarling foxes go paw-to-paw and brawl after unexpectedly crossing paths .