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Encounter Within One Second ? Zhang Yanguang This image captures the International Space Station (ISS) transiting across the solar disc. The solar background was captured separately with double-stacked etalon[an optical filter that isolates specific wavelengths, used to observe solar details], and reveals high-contrast chromospheric details. The imaging sequences were strategically combined during post-processing to preserve both the spacecraft?s crisp silhouette and the Sun?s intricate surface features. Taken with a Takahashi Teegul 60 telescope, Coronado SolarMax 60 double stacked, Vixen polaris mount, Player One Astronomy Neptune-M camera, 500 mm f/8.3, 0.3-millisecond exposure Location: Xiamen, Fujian, China, 24 January 2025

Space

Otherworldly space images from a major photography competition

From a silhouetted space station to glowing comet tails and swirling stars, this year's ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest inspires us to see the cosmos in a new light

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Two of five snow leopard cubs recently photographed in Mongolia

Life

Rare images capture snow leopard cubs in their dens

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My Octopus Mother by Kat Zhou

Life

Stunningly intimate octopus image wins aquatic photography prize

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Salt River Pima and Maricopa Indian Community/Suburb, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, 2011 photo(s) ?EdwardBurtynsky, courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

Earth

Dramatic Edward Burtynsky image shows stark desert divide

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Pacific compass jellyfish (Chrysaora fuscescens) inside a plastic bag. The cultured jellyfish, along with a portion of the water in which they grew, are shipped in plastic bags (and insulating Styrofoam boxes) to various customers, including zoos, aquariums, and research institutions. Jellyfish Farm, Europe's largest jellyfish breeding facility, K??nzell, Germany.

Life

Inside Europe's largest jellyfish farm

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Ami Vitale - Pandamonium A panda keeper does a health check on the cub of giant panda Xi Mei at the Wolong Nature Reserve managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan province, China October 31, 2015. (Photo by Ami Vitale)

Environment

Powerful images capture the fragility and resilience of our planet

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Out of Africa champagne picnic experience. Masai Mara luxury safari. Kenya Kenya???s national parks and reserves offer tourists the chance to see wild animals in what remains of their natural habitat. In Masai Mara, tourists engage in colonial fantasies while re-enacting the romantic picnic scene in the film Out of Africa. Local Masaai tribesman are employed to provide picturesque authenticity to the experience. Earth???s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in the last 50 years; 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the past century. Kenyan national parks provide a sanctuary, but the animals living within them are allowed to survive essentially for human entertainment and reassurance. These animals become, in effect, performers for paying tourists eager to see a nostalgic picture-book image of the natural world.

Environment

Captivating images expose a 'staged version' of nature

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Liquid Gold Anna Curran Department of Mathematics A lattice of bubbles inside a ring that has been dipped in soapy water. The bubbles hold their shape because of molecules in the dish soap called surfactants, which stabilise the interface. Surfactants are all around us - for example, they allow soap to break down dirt and bacteria, and they are given to premature babies to help them inflate their lungs. Conversely, they threaten the efficacy of various industrial applications such as self-cleaning surfaces and laptop cooling systems. My research focuses on mathematically modelling the effect of these molecules at a f luid interface, in order to gain a greater understanding of how to control their behaviour in these applications.

Physics

Photography contest spotlights the beauty of science in vivid detail

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19719.9.22 Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California 2022 MITCH EPSTEIN. AMERICAN NATURE

Life

Images capture the timeless beauty of America's ancient forests

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Will Burrard-Lucas Forest elephant

Life

Camera trap spots endangered elephant mother and calf on the move

A weatherproof box and motion-trigger camera help photographer Will Burrard-Lucas capture images of rarely seen African elephants

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Life

Incredible close-up images of insects scoop photo contest honours

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Environment

Chilling images reveal melting ice worlds

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Life

Fancy pigeons flaunt their feathers in this striking photo series

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Health

The most iconic images taken during the covid-19 pandemic

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