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Best Photos of 2022

From giant pandas playing in the snow in China to a stunning supermoon over San Francisco, these are the 24 photos from 2022 that caught our eye

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images; Katja Ogrin/Getty Images; Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Scroll down to see the best photos, or click on one of the bookmarks below to jump straight to a photo.  If you’re interested in seeing daily photos of the day, or photos of the week, visit our Members Only Access section here.

Panda-monium

Chen Xianlin/VCG via Getty Images

Giant pandas play in the snow in mid-January at the Shenshuping Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, in China’s Sichuan province.

Starlings Swoop & Swirl

Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis via Getty Images

Thousands of starlings twist, turn, swoop and swirl in intricately coordinated patterns on Jan. 17 above Rome, Italy. Scientists believe these breathtaking flock patterns, called murmurations, offer safety in numbers. 

Big Air

Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images

USA's Megan Nick competes in the women’s freestyle skiing aerials final Feb. 14 during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Zhangjiakou, China.

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An Olympic Dream

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Team USA’s Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier compete Feb. 7 in the pair skating free skate during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Ravishing Ranunculus

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

A worker carries bundles of giant ranunculus March 16 at The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch in Carlsbad, California. The flower fields grow about 70 million ranunculus across 55 acres on the working flower farm during the flower’s season, from early March to early May. 

Cherry On Top

STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Cherry blossoms bloom March 6 near the Washington Monument along the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Swim It To Win It

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Triathletes swim April 2 during the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside race in Oceanside, California. Also known as a Half Ironman, the Ironman 70.3 is one of a series of long-distance races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles covered in the triathlon, which consists of a 1.2-mile swim in the Pacific Ocean, a 56-mile bike loop and a 13.1-mile run.

Rainbow of Blooms

Jeffrey Groeneweg/ANP/AFP/via Getty Images

Rows of tulips and hyacinths bloom in fields at Lisse, Netherlands. The town in the Bollenstreek (flower-bulb region), draws thousands of tourists each spring.

Walk of Fame

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Ducklings walk along a makeshift duck ramp May 16 in the Capitol reflecting pool in Washington, D.C. The ramps help ducks and other wildlife get in and out of the water.

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Buffalo On the Move

Hussein Faleh/AFP via Getty Images

A herd of water buffalo swim past a fishing boat in the Shatt al-Arab river north of the southern Iraq city of Basra. The Shatt al-Arab, which flows from the presumed biblical site of the Garden of Eden to the Persian Gulf, also hosts the world’s largest date palm forest. Gazelles, antelopes and other species are also found in this region. 

Master of Agility

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

A dog competes June 18 in the Masters Agility Championship during the 146th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York. More than 350 dogs competed in the competition, which had them climbing, balancing, jumping, weaving and sprinting through obstacle courses. 

Box ‘Til You Drop

CLAUDIO CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images

Mexico City sets a world record June 18 for hosting the largest boxing class ever, with 14,299 people taking part in a massive lesson in the Zócalo, the capital’s central plaza, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced. The turnout surpassed the previous record, set in Moscow in 2017 when 3,250 people attended a boxing class. 

Supermoon Over San Francisco

Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images

A stunning supermoon hovers above the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on July 13. A supermoon is a full moon that appears larger than a typical full moon because it is closer to Earth. There are typically only three or four supermoons each year. 

Summertime Storm

Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via Getty Images

A wall of storm clouds roll over the Basilica of Saint Mary in mid-July in Minneapolis. 

Flying High

Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

Hot air balloons fly over North Somerset, England, in early-morning sunlight on Aug. 14 during the mass ascent at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The annual four-day event, started in 1979, attracts over 100 balloons and 500,000 visitors.  

Baby’s First Steps

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Stanley, a 5-day-old Rothschild’s giraffe, takes his first steps outside the giraffe house Aug. 11 at the Chester Zoo in Chester, England. Keepers named the 6-foot baby giraffe after Mount Stanley, the tallest mountain in Uganda, Africa, where the zoo’s conservationists are fighting to boost giraffe numbers. Rothschild’s giraffes are one of Africa’s most at-risk mammals, with fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild.

Bat-Man

Casey Sykes/Getty Images

J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies breaks his bat Sept. 17 during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Queen of Our Hearts

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Flowers from well-wishers flank the Long Walk in Windsor Castle on Sept. 19 in Windsor, England. The committal service for Queen Elizabeth II at St. George's Chapel took place after the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. A private burial in the King George VI Memorial Chapel followed. She died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sept. 8, 2022, and was succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. 

Pretty Pyramid

Patrick Pleul/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

The morning sun shines on the autumnal lake pyramid on Oct. 17 in Branitz Park in Cottbus, Germany.  

Something Fishy

Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Pearl mullets swim upstream on Oct. 1 in the Lake Van basin in Turkey. The fish migrate annually to breed in the salty water of the largest lake in Turkey. 

Hop To It!

Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

An eastern grey kangaroo travels through Look At Me Now Headland Nov. 25 in Coffs Harbour, Australia. 

On Pointe

Katja Ogrin/Getty Images

Dancers of the Birmingham Royal Ballet perform a dress rehearsal of "The Nutcracker" Nov. 19 at the Birmingham Hippodrome in England. 

Lady Liberty

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Geese fly over the Statue of Liberty as the sun sets Dec. 18 in New York City. 

Will The Real Santa Please Stand Up?

Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders dressed as Santa Claus and other holiday characters take off from the top of the mountain during Santa Sunday Dec. 11 at the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine.