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The best science and technology pictures of the week

Lightning erupts from storm clouds over Gillette, Wyoming. Weather forecasters have predicted more heavy rain and thunderstorms. (Daniel Brenner, Gillette News Record/AP)
Lightning erupts from storm clouds over Gillette, Wyoming. Weather forecasters have predicted more heavy rain and thunderstorms. (Daniel Brenner, Gillette News Record/AP)

The most impressive pictures from the worlds of science and technology this week, from a water-bombing helicopter to a desperate whale rescue.

More galleriesFuturistic dancers and swirling stars

(Sebastian Guillermaz/APOTY)
(Sebastian Guillermaz/APOTY)

Sci-fi balloons and hungry whales

(AP)
(AP)

Robot giraffe and double tornado

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Supersonic selfie and eerie rivers

(David Cenciotti)
(David Cenciotti)

A brooding storm and a Super Earth

(Center for Astrophysics/Reuters)
(Center for Astrophysics/Reuters)

Roaring rockets and an Earth selfie

Japan's H-IIA rocket lifts off from a space centre on the island of Tanegashima to deploy a new mapping satellite for surveying natural disaster damage. (AFP/Getty Images)
Japan's H-IIA rocket lifts off from a space centre on the island of Tanegashima to deploy a new mapping satellite for surveying natural disaster damage. (AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese lightning and rocking robots

Lightning arcs across the sky during a storm in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. (Reuters)
Lightning arcs across the sky during a storm in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. (Reuters)

Fire bombing and huggy bears

Two brown bears embrace inside an enclosure at a bear park in Zarnesti, central Romania. The bears are some of many rescued from roadside stalls or restaurants. (Reuters)
Two brown bears embrace inside an enclosure at a bear park in Zarnesti, central Romania. The bears are some of many rescued from roadside stalls or restaurants. (Reuters)

Blazing skies and moody twisters

Clouds lit up by the setting sun at Mollymook Beach on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. (Reuters)
Clouds lit up by the setting sun at Mollymook Beach on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. (Reuters)

Amazing air displays and breathtaking nature

flight
flight

Plane trails and tadpole stars

Contrails from jets flying overhead form a backdrop behind the National Museum of Art in Washington DC. (AP)
Contrails from jets flying overhead form a backdrop behind the National Museum of Art in Washington DC. (AP)

Volcanic plumes and home-made tanks

Ash rises into the sky from Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano near Banos, south of the capital Quito. The volcano has been classified as active since 1999. (Reuters)
Ash rises into the sky from Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano near Banos, south of the capital Quito. The volcano has been classified as active since 1999. (Reuters)

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