Meteor showers, a galactic dance and the Artemis mission to the Moon | The best images in science this week

By James Cutmore

Published: Friday, 19 August 2022 at 12:00 am

Last weekend the whole world saw the last supermoon of 2022. The Sturgeon supermoon lit up skies across the world and featured in some amazing images.

Meanwhile, the Perseid meteor shower was somewhat overshadowed by the full Moon, but still produced some great sights.

NASA continues to prepare for Artemis, which the launch of the first mission expected the happen at the end of August 2022. The first mission will be uncrewed, but NASA hopes to be sending astronauts to the Moon by the time of Artemis III in 2025.

Super-bright moon

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A Sturgeon supermoon rising behind San Bernardino church dome in L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy, on 12 August 2022. The August full Moon is the last supermoon of 2022. Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Getty Images

More images of the Sturgeon supermoon:

Perseid show

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The Perseid meteor shower illuminates the night sky over the Eboliang Yardang landform on 12 August 2022 in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China. Photo by Wu Zhengjie/VCG/Getty Images
© Getty Images

Megadrought

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The Los Angeles Aqueduct passes through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the westernmost edge of the Mojave Desert on 13 August 2022 in California, USA. The Los Angeles Aqueduct carries water from the Owens River near Independence, California to Los Angeles, more than 200 miles away. Scientists have warned that the region is in the midst of the worst drought in at least 1,200 years. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

A truly fun run

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Coloured powder is poured on a participant during the ‘Colour Run’ event in Jurmala, Latvia, on 14 August 2022. The event is described as a unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality. Photo by Ints Kalnins/Reuters

Galactic dance

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The galaxy NGC 7727, pictured in this image released on 16 August 2022, was born from the merger of two galaxies that started around a billion years ago. The cosmic dance of the two galaxies has resulted in the spectacular wispy shape of NGC 7727. At the heart of the galaxy, two supermassive black holes are spiralling closer to each other, expected to merge within 250 million years, the blink of an eye in astronomical time. Photo by ESO/VLT

Underwater heatwave

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New research, released on 16 August 2022, shows that the water temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea are currently higher than the long-term average for this time of year. Sea snails, like this pteropod, play an important role in the marine food web. They are especially sensitive to ocean warming and acidification, and changes in the temperature of oceans could negatively impact their numbers. Photo by Charlotte Havermans

Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’

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NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket is rolled out to Launch Pad Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, on 16 August 2022. Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight, will feature the first blastoff of the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will be the most powerful in the world when it goes into operation. It will propel the Orion crew capsule into orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft will remain in space for 42 days before returning to Earth. Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

More great images from Science Focus:

Pond life

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This aerial view shows a fisherman rowing his boat among water lilies in Lake Golbasi in southern Turkey’s Hatay province, on 17 August 2022. Photo by Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images

Ready to snap

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In a study released on 18 August 2022, WHOI scientists have established a clear relationship between rising temperatures and the frequency and volume of the sound emitted by snapping shrimp. The shrimp, which create a pervasive crackling noise that sounds like bacon frying, are among the loudest marine animals. Photo by Tom Kleindinst/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

All hail the wireless taxi

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A taxi fitted with prototype charging hardware is seen parked in taxi rank that features wireless electric charging pads, on 18 August 2022 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. The city is installing wireless charging hardware on some electric taxis, which will charge via pads installed on the Trent Street taxi rank. The drivers can charge their cars by driving over the pads, without leaving their vehicles. It is the first trial of its kind in the UK. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images