Year in Review 2012: Most Spectacular Pictures
- 1/7
Lightning illuminates a cumulonimbus cloud over Corio Bay, Victoria, Australia, by James Collier (SWNS)
- 2/7
Thrill seeker Michael Tomchek plunges 400ft from the top of a cliff. He will pull his parachute with only seconds to spare before he hits the ground (CATERS)
- 3/7
Geoff Mackley, wearing protective gear, looks down at 1,150 degree lava at the heart of the Marum Volvano, Vanuatu (Caters)
- 4/7
An image of the Helix Nebula, captured by ESO's VISTA telescope in Chile, is a remarkable example of a planetary nebula. It lies in the constellation of Aquarius 700 light-years away from Earth. The Helix Nebula is often referred to as 'the eye of God', due to its shape (REX)
- 5/7
Russian student Marat Dupri scales huge skyscrapes with his friends to capture vertigo-inducing pictures (Caters)
- 6/7
A jet plane flies past a mushroom-like cumulonimbus storm cloud in Beijing, China (REX)
- 7/7
Indonesian sulphur miners spend 12 hours a day surrounded by acid-filled lakes and toxic smoke. They are paid just £3 and wear very little safety equipment (CATERS)