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Mars Selfies, Pink Moons and a robot servant: The best images in science this month

WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: The full moon sets behind Stonehenge on April 27, 2021 in Amesbury, England. The pink supermoon will reach peak size in the early hours of Tuesday morning and will shine 30% brighter than a normal full moon. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

The flowers are in bloom and spring is here. And at BBC Science Focus Magazine we have been busy bees; collecting our April image pollen and turning it into visual science honey for all to share. From the business end of a rocket, to a field full of lights, we take you on a journey through some of the best images in science for April.

 

Flock Of Seagulls

This photo taken on 4 April 2021 shows people watching migratory birds at a wetland near the Yalu River in Dandong, in China's northeastern Liaoning province. - China OUT (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
This photo taken on 4 April 2021 shows people watching migratory birds at a wetland near the Yalu River in Dandong, in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. STR/AFP
Getty Images

 

Ingenious Mars Selfie

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NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 3.9 metres from the rover in this image taken 6 April 2021. Perseverance’s selfie with Ingenuity is made up of 62 individual images stitched together once they are sent back to Earth; they were taken in sequence while the rover was looking at the helicopter, then again while it was looking at the WATSON camera. The Curiosity rover takes similar selfies using a camera on its robotic arm.
NASA/JPL

 

Rocket Men

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 65 NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Oleg Novitskiy are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on April 9. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A Soyuz rocket is rolled out by train to the launch pad at Site 31, 6 April 2021, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 65 NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Oleg Novitskiy are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on 9 April
NASA

 

You’ve Missed A Bit…

An industrial climber uses a pressure washer to clean the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in the Cosmonauts Alley at the VDNKh exhibition center, Moscow, Russia, 7 April 2021. Sergei Savostyanov/TASS (Photo by Sergei SavostyanovTASS via Getty Images)
An industrial climber uses a pressure washer to clean the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in the Cosmonauts Alley at the VDNKh exhibition centre, Moscow, Russia, 7 April 2021. Photo by Sergei Savostyanov/TASS
Getty Images

 

Grapes Of Wrath

Water is sprayed at the Daniel-Etienne Defaix wine estate vineyard near Chablis, Burgundy, on April 7, 2021 as temperatures fall below zero degrees celsius during the night. JEFF PACHOUD/AFP
Water is sprayed at the Daniel-Etienne Defaix wine estate vineyard near Chablis, Burgundy, on 7 April 2021 as temperatures fall below zero degrees celsius during the night. Winemakers tried to keep air temperatures up by lighting candles and braziers in their vineyards, but in many cases it was not enough to protect their budding vines, after the worst weather in the region for 30 years. Photo by Jeff Pachoud/AFP
Getty Images

 

Nowt But Fields

The Romanian Capital Bucharest as imaged by ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite
The Romanian capital Bucharest as imaged by ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite. The geometric fields of fertile farmland can be seen surrounding the city, while the Dâmbovița River cuts through its heart. Several lakes stretch across the northern part of the city, the most important of which are Lake Herăstrău, Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei, and Lake Colentina.
ESA

 

Detecting A Wobble

The Muon g-2 ring sits in its detector hall amidst electronics racks, the muon beam-line, and other equipment. This impressive experiment operates at negative 268 degrees Celsius and studies the precession (or wobble) of muons as they travel through the magnetic field. For the first time, scientists have precisely measured the interactions between neutrinos hitting the atomic nuclei in the heart of the Department of Energy's Fermilab particle detector. Photo by Reidar Hahn/Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/DOE/UPI
The Muon g-2 ring sits in its detector hall amidst electronics racks, the muon beam-line, and other equipment. This impressive experiment operates at negative 268 degrees Celsius and studies the precession (or wobble) of muons as they travel through the magnetic field. For the first time, scientists have precisely measured the interactions between neutrinos hitting the atomic nuclei in the heart of the Department of Energy’s Fermilab particle detector. Photo by Reidar Hahn/Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/DOE/UPI
Shutterstock

Light Fantastic

In this long exposure image, fiber-optic lights glow at the Field of Light immersive art installation from artist Bruce Munro, part of the Light at Sensorio on April 13, 2021 in Paso Robles, California. - The Light Towers feature 69 towers composed of more than 17,000 wine bottles adjacent to a 15 acre Field of Light at Sensorio which has a solar powered array of over 58,800 stemmed spheres lit by fiber-optics. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST BRUCE MUNRO UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST BRUCE MUNRO UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST BRUCE MUNRO UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
In this long exposure image, fiber-optic lights glow at the Field of Light immersive art installation from artist Bruce Munro, part of the Light at Sensorio on 13 April 2021 in Paso Robles, California. The Light Towers feature 69 towers composed of more than 17,000 wine bottles adjacent to a 15 acre Field of Light at Sensorio which has a solar powered array of over 58,800 stemmed spheres lit by fiber-optics. Patrick T Fallon/AFP
Getty Images

 

Cold Comfort

Engineers Taek Oh, left, and Jonathan Gilbert are assembling a Quantum Processing Unit at ColdQuanta in Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Engineers Taek Oh, left, and Jonathan Gilbert are assembling a Quantum Processing Unit at ColdQuanta in Boulder, Colorado USA on 14 April 2021. Photo by Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post
Getty Images

 

The Scaffolders Of Notre-Dame

This view shows scaffolding under the vault of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ahead of a visit of French President two years after the blaze that made the spire collapsed and destroyed much of the roof, in Paris on April 15, 2021. - The actual restoration work has yet to begin as time up until now has been spent on securing the building, and the full restoration works should begin early next year. (Photo by Ian LANGSDON / POOL / AFP) (Photo by IAN LANGSDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
This view shows scaffolding under the vault of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ahead of a visit of French President two years after the blaze that made the spire collapse and destroyed much of the roof. The actual restoration work has yet to begin as time up until now has been spent on securing the building, and the full restoration works should begin early next year. Photographed by Ian Langsdon in Paris on 15 April 2021.
Getty Images

 

Ready For Launch

AMUR REGION, RUSSIA - APRIL 22, 2021: A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage and 36 OneWeb internet communication satellites is installed on a launch pad of Vostochny Cosmodrome; the launch is scheduled for April 26, 2021. Roscosmos Press Office/TASS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Photo by Roscosmos Press OfficeTASS via Getty Images)
A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage and 36 OneWeb internet communication satellites is installed on a launch pad of Vostochny Cosmodrome; the launch is scheduled for 26 April 2021. Photo by Roscosmos Press Office/TASS
Getty Images

If you are enjoying this gallery, why not check out some other of our great images:

 

Buried In The Sand

TOPSHOT - An aerial view shows the abandoned village of Al-Madam, bordering the Gulf Emirate of Sharjah, half buried in the desert sand, on April 22, 2021. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
An aerial view shows the abandoned village of Al-Madam, bordering the Gulf Emirate of Sharjah, half buried in the desert sand, on 22 April 2021. Photo by Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
Getty Images

 

Taking Flight

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the second flight of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity using its left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast. This is one still frame from a sequence captured by the camera while taking video on 22 April 2021.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the second flight of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity using its left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover’s mast. This is one still frame from a sequence captured by the camera while taking video on 22 April 2021.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

 

At Your Service

TOMSK, RUSSIA - APRIL 22, 2021: A Promobot V.4 service robot in a library of the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University. Founded in 2015 in the city of Perm, the Russian Promobot company is the largest manufacturer of autonomous service robots in Europe. Promobot V.4 is a service robot used in public places for customer assistance; it can work as a consultant, an administrator, a guide or an airport employee. Promobots new equipment is used by students of the Tomsk Polytechnic University in studies of robotics, computer programming, electronics and mechatronics. Taisiya Vorontsova/TASS (Photo by Taisiya VorontsovaTASS via Getty Images)
A Promobot V.4 service robot in a library of the National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University is pictured in Tomsk, Russia, 22 April 2021. Promobot V.4 is a service robot used in public places for customer assistance; it can work as a consultant, an administrator, a guide or an airport employee. Taisiya Vorontsova/TASS
Getty Images

 

Boat Life

The Energy Observer, the first round-the-world hydrogen-powered sea vessel, arrives in Long Beach, California during the Earth Day, April 22, 2021. - The Hydrogen-powered sea vessel will display in Long Beach from April 23-28 as an educational resource around clean energy solutions. Since setting sail from Saint Malo, France, in 2017, the 100-foot catamaran has already navigated over 30,000 nautical miles powered by renewable energies (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)
The Energy Observer, the first round-the-world hydrogen-powered sea vessel, arrives in Long Beach, California during the Earth Day, 22 April 2021. Since setting sail from Saint Malo, France, in 2017, the 30 metre catamaran has already navigated over 30,000 nautical miles powered by renewable energies. Photo by Ringo Chiu/AFP
Getty Images

 

Dragon’s fire

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spits fire as it lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 23 April at 05:49 local time. On board are ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spits fire as it lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida USA, 23 April at 05:49 local time. On board are ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
ESA/SPACEX

 

Happy Birthday Hubble

In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the celebrated observatory at one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy to capture its beauty. The giant star featured in this latest Hubble Space Telescope anniversary image is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. The star, called AG Carinae, is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.
In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the celebrated observatory at one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy to capture its beauty. The giant star featured in this latest Hubble Space Telescope anniversary image is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction. The star, called AG Carinae, is surrounded by an expanding shell of gas and dust. The nebula is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri.
NASA/ESA/Hubble Space Telescope

 

Station Approach

This image from 24 April 2021, shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour as it approached the International Space Station.
This image from 24 April 2021, shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour as it approached the International Space Station.
NASA

 

Fighting the moor fires

Firefighters battle to control the flames from a moor fire on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield in northern England on April 25, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Firefighters battle to control the flames from a moor fire on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield in northern England on 25 April 2021. Marsden Moor is a Site of Special Scientific Interest famous for rare ground-nesting birds and blanket peat bogs. Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP
Getty Images

 

Pink Moon

WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: The full moon sets behind Stonehenge on April 27, 2021 in Amesbury, England. The pink supermoon will reach peak size in the early hours of Tuesday morning and will shine 30% brighter than a normal full moon. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
The full moon sets behind Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK on 27 April 2021 in Amesbury, England. The pink supermoon reached peak size in the early hours of the morning and shone 30% brighter than a normal full moon. Photo by Finnbarr Webster
Getty Images

 

The Ultimate Trimaran

People prepare the launch of the new Banque Populaire XI Ultim multihull sailing boat, at a boathouse in Lorient, western France, on April 27, 2021. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
People prepare the launch of the new Banque Populaire XI Ultim multihull sailing boat, at a boathouse in Lorient, western France, on 27 April 2021. Photo by Loic Venance/AFP
Getty Images

 

The Constant Space gardener

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Those on board on the International Space Station recently enjoyed a fresh supply of leafy vegetables, courtesy of NASA Astronaut Michael Hopkins. The SpaceX Crew-1 mission commander took the lead on conducting four Vegetable Production System (Veggie) experiments. VEG-03K and VEG-03L tested a new space crop, ‘Amara’ mustard, and a previously grown crop, ‘Extra Dwarf’ pak choi, shown in this image released on 28 April 2021. They were grown for 64 days, the longest leafy greens have grown on the space station.
NASA

 

Lightning rocket

The core module of China's space station, Tianhe, combined with a Long March-5B Y2 rocket stands at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site before the launch while lightning appears in sky, on 28 April 2021 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China. Photo by Xie Jiawei/VCG
The core module of China’s space station, Tianhe, combined with a Long March-5B Y2 rocket stands at Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site before the launch while lightning appears in sky, on 28 April 2021 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China. Photo by Xie Jiawei/VCG
Getty Images


from... sciencefocus.com