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.
A chipmunk, with his cheeks full to bursting, has no intention of leaving with an empty stomach .
From vivid greens to glowing pinks, the colours of the aurora borealis fill the night sky above a snow covered Lapland .
WITH his spiked ears and yellow and blue body, a colourful monkey bears an uncanny resemblance to Marvel Comics’ Wolverine .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
While often referred to as the kings of the jungle, gorillas - for all their might - are notorious hydrophobes .
POPE MOBBED BY THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPPERS IN RIO - Thousands of worshippers gather to celebrate the Papal visit on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro ,Brazil .
FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .
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 .
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
HIDDEN in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a secret oasis awaits intrepid travellers .
PUSHING the diver out of his way, this little sea turtle shows he’s not in the mood for photographs .
With one hand rested on his belly and the other propping his head up, this lazy lizard takes an afternoon break .