{"id":11122,"date":"2022-04-01T19:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T17:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=113519"},"modified":"2022-04-01T19:15:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T17:15:13","slug":"unusual-sand-storms-cute-sloths-and-low-tides-in-venice-the-best-science-images-in-march","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/unusual-sand-storms-cute-sloths-and-low-tides-in-venice-the-best-science-images-in-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Unusual sand storms, cute sloths and low tides in Venice: The best science images in March"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By James Cutmore\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 01 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

March has been and gone, and with that in mind, we bring you our favourite images in science from the past month. This batch is a real mix, from African sand storms being blown across Europe, to the low tides and lack of water in Venice bringing canal traffic to a standstill.<\/p>\n

In the UK, we bathed in some unseasonably warm weather, and then shivered as random snow started to fall.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> started to produce its first correctly-aligned image, which has ramped-up anticipation of the amazing images it will start to produce later this year.<\/p>\n

Rocketmen<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Beachgoers look on as the Atlas V rocket carrying the GOES-T weather satellite launches from Space Launch Complex 41 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA on 1 March 2022. Photo by Marco Bello\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

I\u2019m bringing leatherback<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A man holds a leatherback sea turtle hatchling before its release into the sea at Lhoknga beach, Aceh province, Indonesia on 2 March 2022. Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Virtual insanity<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A exhibition attendee trying a VR experience with the Meta Oculus Quest 2 headset at the SK telecom stand during the Mobile World Congress, the biggest trade show of the sector focused on mobile devices. Photographed on 3 March 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.\u00a0Photo by Joan Cros\/NurPhoto\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Pretty kitty<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A Nature Conservation Agency officer holds a leopard cub as it is displayed along with other animals during a press conference in Surabaya on 4 March 2022, after the organisation and the police arrested a group of wildlife traffickers. Photo by Juni Kriswanto\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

I feel alive!<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A Kawada Robotics Co. Nextage Fillie robot during a demonstration at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, on 9 March 2022. Photo by Kiyoshi Ota\/Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Happy Holi-day<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Hindu devotees smeared in colours take part in a traditional gathering during the Laddu Holi celebrations, the spring festival of colours at a temple in Barsana village of India\u2019s Uttar Pradesh state on 10 March 2022. Photo by AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

An untangled Webb<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
On 11 March 2022, the\u00a0James Webb Space Telescope team completed the stage of mirror alignment known as \u2018fine phasing\u2019. In doing so, the telescope produced this image of a\u00a0star, catchily named\u00a02MASS J17554042+6551277.\u00a0Although there are months to go before Webb ultimately delivers its new view of the cosmos, achieving this milestone means the team is confident that the telescope\u2019s first-of-its-kind optical system is working as well as possible. Photo by NASA\/ESA\/Canadian Space Agency<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Lava flow<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Lava flows down from the crater of Indonesia\u2019s most active volcano Mount Merapi, seen from Kedungsriti in Sleman, outside Yogyakarta on 11 March 2022. Photo by Devi Rahman\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Shifting sands part 1<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A vehicle covered with sub-Saharan dust, on 15 March 2022 in Madrid, Spain. The unusual meteorological phenomenon was generated by a high amount of dust in suspension coming from the Sahara. This also caused a decrease in air quality as well as sand in the streets, a reddish sky and rising temperatures. Photo By Eduardo Parra\/Europa Press\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Shifting sands part 2<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
This photograph taken on 15 March 2022 shows sand from the Sahara that fell overnight covering the snow, in Piau-Engaly ski resort, southern France. Orange cars, dusty subway corridors, a blocked and yellowish horizon: a thin layer of sand from the Sahara fell on the night of 14 March 2022 in Madrid and a large area of Spain, as well as reaching parts of France. Photo by Bastien Arberet\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Tide isn\u2019t high<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The low tide in Venice, Italy, has been causing problems to navigation in the city, as can be seen in this image taken on 17 March 2022. In recent years Venice has experienced a series of exceptionally low tides that has seen many of its famous canals run dry. Climate change and subsidence are cited as two major factors in this phenomenon. Photo by Stefano Mazzola\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

More galleries on Science Focus<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n