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.
HUDDLING under a leaf, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls take shelter from the rain .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
These adorable pictures show the moment two cuddly red panda cubs take their first look at the outside world and are weighed for the very first time .
BRAIDED, sculpted and beaded, these are the eye-catching hairstyles worn by the tribal women of Angola .
A BLIND man was battered with a brick in a sickening attack by two thugs .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
CAMPED out in the middle of a forest, these unusual hut hotels take you back to basics .
A mum-of-two has revealed how her childhood friend of 20 years attacked her with a cosh and broke her nose in a vicious attack .
A student has finally hit puberty after a four year battle against anorexia stunted his growth .
WELCOME to the 750-foot deep rainbow cave that leaves visitors bewildered by its multi-coloured mood lighting .
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .
SQUEEZING their furry faces through a hole in a tree, a trio of curious baby squirrels leave their nest for the first time to explore their surroundings .