Bing Images archive 2023/10

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  2023-10-01Lake Bled, Slovenia

  Nestled amidst the Julian Alps, Slovenia"s Lake Bled invites you to step into a storybook setting. The star of the show? The tiny Bled Island, which beckons with the promise of legends and "rowmance." Make your way there on a traditional, flat-bottomed pletna boat, piloted by oarsmen whose skills have been handed down through generations since 1740. The island is home to the 17th-century Assumption of Mary Church, with its special bell that, legend says, will make wishes come true. If you look to the shore directly above the island in our image, you can spot Bled Castle overlooking the lake"s expanse. The castle—one of the oldest in Slovenia—is positioned on a precipice above the town of Bled on the northwestern shore of the lake.

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  2023-10-02World Architecture Day

  Did you know that the name Louis Vuitton is linked with more than just fashion? The eye-catching structure in today"s image is the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art museum and cultural center in Paris, France. The extravagant building opened in 2014, the result of a collaboration between the luxury goods company"s CEO, Bernard Arnault, and renowned architect Frank Gehry. Gehry drew inspiration from iconic Parisian buildings, including the glass-roofed 19th-century Grand Palais exhibition hall, and applied concepts from 19th-century English landscape gardens.

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  2023-10-03Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia

  Sun, sand, and sea come together to create the stunning beaches of the Whitsunday Islands, made up of 74 islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park surrounds and protects the islands, once home to the Ngaro people of Australia, an Aboriginal group known as the "canoe people" due to their seafaring lifestyle. Today, the island"s primary visitors are travelers, divers, campers, and adventure seekers. So, pack your sunscreen and explore the pristine white sand beaches on your next vacation down under!

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  2023-10-04World Space Week

  It"s World Space Week, an opportunity to celebrate humanity"s extraterrestrial achievements, as well as the benefits that come from space exploration and technology. The star of our homepage is actually a star-forming region known as the Tarantula Nebula, found in the same group of galaxies as our Milky Way. This detailed image was captured by the powerful James Webb Space Telescope and shows thousands of never-before-seen stars, previously obscured by cosmic dust. The nebula"s colossal size and dynamic energy offer plenty of compelling material for astronomers and stargazers of all stripes.

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  2023-10-05World Teachers Day

  It"s World Teachers" Day, time to celebrate those who dedicate their lives to transmitting knowledge, skills, and experience. Just as teachers shape minds and futures, nature too offers its own ways of passing knowledge. Nestled in the rocky landscapes of the Antarctic Peninsula and Antarctic islands, gentoo penguin hatchlings, born in pairs, benefit from dedicated parental support. The father and mother raise them in a bonded, monogamous pair, bringing food back to the stony nest they have built together. After being fed and raised for 30 days, the chicks join a larger flock known as a crèche or nursery for safety and to learn social behavior. Penguin parents and their community pass on their wisdom through the language of survival.

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  2023-10-06Taughannock Falls State Park

  Taughannock Falls State Park, in New York"s scenic Finger Lakes area, is home to this magnificent waterfall of the same name, which plunges 215 feet over the cliffs into the gorge below. The park also boasts stunning pathways, unique rock formations, and numerous wild animals. It"s not certain where the name Taughannock came from, though a leading theory says it is a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin terms, roughly translating to "great fall in the woods." The park, which was founded in 1924, guarantees visitors memorable adventures, whether you hike the rim paths for panoramic views of the falls and rock formations, take a plunge in Cayuga Lake, or bring a pair of binoculars for birding. A keen eye can spot winged locals such as turkey vultures, common loons, and great horned owls.

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  2023-10-07Fat Bear Week

  Are you ready for winter? These brown bears of Katmai National Park sure are, and their efforts won"t go unrewarded. Each year, park rangers organize a bracketed tournament to crown one ravenous contender as the fattest bear. Webcams are set up so anyone can join the crowds watching these bears chow down on sockeye salmon, as the fish return to the park to spawn. Once you"ve witnessed the feast, you can vote for which bear you think should win the title. New generations will bring new competitors, but they have big paw prints to fill. Bears such as Beadnose and 747—each animal has an ID number and several have names—are repeat champions but fat bear Otis reigns supreme, with four titles to his name. This year"s Fat Bear Week finishes on Tuesday, October 10.

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  2023-10-08World Octopus Day

  What exactly are we looking at here? The veined octopus, also known as the coconut octopus, is one of the smartest animals on Earth, building shelters from seashells and coconut shells. If you peek inside, you may spot those telltale suction cups that cover the creature"s eight limbs. These arms contain clusters of neurons, which make them particularly sensitive, and each arm can be used separately to perform complex tasks. Octopuses can also match the color—sometimes even the texture—of their environment, making them even more difficult to spot. There"s lots more to learn about these fascinating animals, and World Octopus Day is a great day to do it. You could always start with the Academy Award-winning documentary "My Octopus Teacher."

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  2023-10-09Indigenous Peoples Day

  Our homepage today celebrates Indigenous Peoples" Day. In the US, the second Monday in October is dedicated to the enduring cultures that have shaped the nation. Among them are the Fremont people, who lived in and around what is now Utah, for more than 1,000 years up to 1300 CE. This broad group of communities left a lasting mark on their region with their distinctive petroglyphs, a form of ancient art chipped or carved into rock. Today, many Americans participate in Indigenous Day celebrations such as art exhibitions, traditional music, and storytelling. Locations such as Dinosaur National Monument, Fremont Indian State Park, and McKee Spring provide insights into the history of this ancient culture that lived here for centuries.

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  2023-10-10Mount Sopris, Colorado

  The rising sun hits the twin peaks of Mount Sopris in this autumnal scene, in Colorado"s Elk Mountains, in the Rockies. Known as East Sopris and West Sopris, the two summits are both 12,965 feet in elevation, towering over the town of Carbondale, in the Roaring Fork Valley. It"s a common misconception that Mount Sopris was a volcano but, although magma built up beneath its surface, it never erupted. Instead, it crystallized about 10,000 feet beneath the Earth"s surface, creating a massive rock-covered dome. Erosion by rain, melting snow and glacial ice then shaped it into this twin-peaked giant over tens of millions of years.

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  2023-10-11National Fossil Day

  For National Fossil Day, we"re looking at the mesmerizing Painted Hills, found in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. Those stripes of red, tan, orange, and black were formed over tens of millions of years, the different layers in the claystone hills reflecting changes in the climate over that period. The monument itself is divided into three units, Painted Hills, Clarno, and Sheep Rock. In the latter, you"ll find the Thomas Condon Visitor Center with a paleontology lab and a museum displaying hundreds of fossils. In the fossil beds, the remains of more than 100 species of mammals have been found, including saber-toothed tigers, turtles, and opossums, as well as many fossilized plant species. While the landscape might sometimes look otherworldly, it offers us a peek into Earth"s dynamic and fascinating history.

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  2023-10-12Farmers Day

  Come and gather around, folks! It"s time to express our gratitude toward the harvesting heroes, the guardians of crops: farmers. Farmer"s Day is a celebration of determination and a deep-rooted relationship with the land. From dusk to dawn throughout the seasons, farmers work tirelessly to ensure that produce shelves stay stocked. The interior northwest"s Palouse region is one of the country"s most fertile farming regions, with rolling hills of wheat, legumes, and canola, as seen here today. Old barns with rusty roofs and weathered wood tell tales of harvests and hardships faced by generations of farmers. So, when you eat your next meal, we encourage you to take a moment and think of the workers who produced that food from the land.

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  2023-10-13Vieste, Apulia, Italy

  Vieste is a picturesque town on the eastern coast of Italy. With origins dating back thousands of years, its history is a tapestry woven by various civilizations, including the Normans, Byzantines, and Romans. The town"s historic center is filled with charming narrow streets, ancient architecture, and a medieval Swabian castle overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Perched on dramatic limestone cliffs, its stunning natural landscape also boasts pristine beaches and clear waters that have Blue Flag certification for their quality. The famous Pizzomunno rock formation has various legends associated with it, often about a young man of the same name and his lover Cristalda. With its blend of history, natural wonders, and leisure pursuits, Vieste remains a captivating destination for those seeking an authentic Italian experience.

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  2023-10-14Ring of fire solar eclipse

  Sky gazers have been counting down to today: a "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse is here to darken the skies over the Americas! Solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting parts of Earth into shadow. In an annular solar eclipse, a halo effect is created when the moon blocks out most but not all, of the sun"s light. An annulus—or ring—of light remains visible. Seen here from Doha, Qatar, in 2019, the phenomenon will appear today over the United States—traveling from Oregon to Texas before continuing to Central America and ending in South America. While the "ring of fire" is visible only in certain areas, partial eclipses will grace parts of all 50 states.

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  2023-10-15European hedgehog

  Brown, round, tiny, and spiny—say hello to the European hedgehog. Our image was taken in Sussex, England, but you"ll find these prickly creatures in gardens, parks, and woodland throughout Europe. Mostly nocturnal, they are welcomed by gardeners as they snack on snails and slugs. With leaves turning gold and the air getting chilly, our homepage hedgehog is all set to gain some weight for the winter.

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  2023-10-16Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington

  That jagged granite summit is Prusik Peak, an icon of Washington state"s Enchantments region, high in the Cascade Mountain range. Getting here means a long, strenuous hike, and for much of the year it is covered in snow. But from midsummer through the fall, hikers and climbers arrive here as the larch trees turn golden. The granite peaks and autumnal colors are not the only attractions. The Enchantments boasts more than 700 alpine lakes and ponds, as well as herds of grazing mountain goats that roam this corner of the scenic Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

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  2023-10-17Spreadsheet Day

  Happy Spreadsheet Day! Be they a pivot table pro or an entry-level novice, spreadsheet users worldwide have one person to thank: Dan Bricklin released the first electronic spreadsheet program on this day in 1979. The day celebrates the sophisticated grids that have reshaped businesses from accounting and engineering to project management. But data handling did not begin in the digital age. Ancient civilizations had their own ways of recording and tracking the world around them, as seen in our homepage image.

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  2023-10-18Alaska Day

  On October 18, 1867, the Russian Empire transferred the territory of Alaska to the United States of America as a result of negotiations by US Secretary of State William Seward. Referred to as the Alaska Purchase, the United States paid 7.2 million dollars, about two cents per acre, for the land. Today, that date is known as Alaska Day, a commemoration that honors the rich history, cultural tapestry, untamed wilderness, and unwavering resilience of the state.

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  2023-10-19Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam

  In the heart of Vietnam, where emerald rice fields stretch to the horizon and a mighty river flows with life-giving waters, flooding becomes an anticipated dance between nature and culture. The Mekong River experiences flooding every year, which turns this river into a photographer"s paradise. Adorned with elegant lilies that are nourished by the floods, farmers in the Long An province, in southeastern Vietnam, dedicate their days to harvesting the bloom of the plants. The annual floods bring in nutrients from upstream, enriching the fields and helping these flowers grow. These lilies also provide a food supply and contribute to the community"s economy since the stems are edible and the plant can be brewed into tea. These long-stemmed flowers pay tribute to nature"s ability to generate moments of amazing beauty that inspire and uplift the human soul.

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  2023-10-20International Sloth Day

  Let"s all slow down to celebrate International Sloth Day, the perfect time to take things easy. With that friendly smile, you might think this pygmy three-toed sloth is inviting you to hang out, but these animals are not easy to find. Also known as the monk sloth or dwarf sloth, the species lives exclusively on a small island off Panama"s coast, Isla Escudo de Veraguas. Pygmy three-toed sloths are much smaller than other kinds of sloths, at about 20 inches long, and they weigh less than 8 pounds. Sadly, this species is classified as critically endangered. International Sloth Day aims to raise awareness of the planet"s slowest mammal and help them to survive and thrive in the wild, at their own pace.

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  2023-10-21International Archaeology Day

  It"s International Archaeology Day, an opportunity to discover more about our past and different societies through ancient sites and artifacts. Across the world, events such as scavenger hunts, lectures, and interactive workshops will be held to mark the day and awaken your inner Indiana Jones.

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  2023-10-22Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon

  Imagine traveling for nearly two years across plains, mountains, and forests and finally arriving at this setting, where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific near present-day Astoria, Oregon. That is the sight that greeted explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805 at the halfway point of their legendary 8,000-mile North American expedition that originated near St. Louis.

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  2023-10-23Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania

  All hail Mazezilla, a massive maze of corn found in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania. Spread over 11 acres, there is a different one to solve every year, making it a popular attraction each September and October for those who enjoy perplexing challenges on a giant scale.

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  2023-10-24Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary

  Hungary is a country blessed with stunning landscapes and a host of historic castles. From the opulent Buda Castle in Budapest, with its commanding views of the Danube, to Eger Castle, renowned for its heroic defense against the Turks, each site has a story to tell.

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  2023-10-25Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

  The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument is an untamed wilderness of cliffs and canyons in the heart of southern Utah. The Grand Staircase is a sequence of five majestic sandstone cliffs, rising approximately 5,500 feet across the expanse of the monument. Each step records a different era in Earth"s geological history, a vast showcase of changes over 200 million years. Archaeologists have found prehistoric artifacts, petrified wood, and dinosaur fossils which are over 75 million years old. In human history, the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people mastered the art of farming in this challenging terrain. They constructed granaries to store and preserve their harvests. Today, it is a popular getaway for nature enthusiasts and travelers seeking adventure.

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  2023-10-26Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria

  This autumnal scene can be found on the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace, in the Austrian capital, Vienna. It was the summer residence of the ruling Habsburg emperors from the 18th century to 1918, having been redeveloped by Empress Maria Theresa in the 1740s. Complemented by its lush gardens, which house the world"s oldest existing public zoo, the palace itself is a gem of Europe"s opulent Baroque era. Schönbrunn Palace Park has been open to the public since 1779 and both it and the palace, now under the ownership of the Austrian government, are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This leaf-strewn path offers an escape from the bustling city. So, take a stroll on this enchanting estate and let yourself be transported to centuries past.

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  2023-10-27Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland

  The enchanting Isle of Skye in Scotland is home to the Sligachan Old Bridge, built by Thomas Telford, a prolific Scottish civil engineer, in the early 1800s. The bridge arches over a river of the same name, and carries only cyclists and pedestrians, while a modern bridge downstream serves cars. From atop the bridge"s weathered, mossy stones, travelers can take in the majestic Cuillin Mountains in the distance. According to local tradition, the Sligachan River"s water contains a mysterious blessing provided by fairies. Those who dare to immerse their faces in these waters are said to be gifted with timeless beauty.

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  2023-10-28Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

  In the Spanish town of Consuegra, echoes linger of the adventures of Don Quixote, the hero of Miguel de Cervantes" epic novel. This tourist destination in Castilla-La Mancha is famous for its rocky ridge, known as Cerro Calderico, crowned with 12 white windmills. The windmills are thought to have inspired Cervantes to write the famous scene in which Don Quixote mistakes them for an army of giants. With their stone walls and wooden blades, some date back to the 16th century, when they were built to grind grain.

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  2023-10-29Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia

  Cemeteries are not usually tourist attractions but Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, defies expectations. The city is often referred to as the most haunted in America, so devotees to all things spooky head here to test their nerves. A cemetery since 1846, the 160-acre site is perched on a bluff overlooking the Wilmington River. Its oak trees, dripping with Spanish moss, loom over walkways, monuments, and elaborate burial vaults. If it sounds like stepping into a southern Gothic novel, you"re on the right track: The cemetery featured in John Berendt"s 1994 bestseller "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Among the famous figures resting here is poet Conrad Aiken, whose grave is mentioned in the novel. His tombstone is a bench, said to have been designed to allow poetry lovers somewhere to sit to enjoy a drink in these soul-stirring surroundings.

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  2023-10-30Common raven

  The common raven is an intelligent and adaptable bird known for its striking appearance and remarkable behaviors. This elegant bird is easily identified by its characteristic wedge-shaped tail and glossy black feathers. Their keen eyesight and agile flight make them proficient hunters, often scavenging for prey or stealing from other predators. Ravens are known for their playful behavior and their omnivorous diet, feeding on a wide variety of foods, including carrion, insects, and small mammals.

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  2023-10-31Halloween

  Halloween is here! A night when glowing jack-o"-lanterns decorate doorsteps across the country. The custom has its roots in 19th-century Ireland, where turnips and potatoes were sculpted into scary faces. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, they found pumpkins much easier to carve and a new tradition was born. The digital age has made things easier still, for those whose carving skills are not up to scratch. This image was created with Bing Image Creator (now even better with DALL·E 3)—create your own jack-o"-lantern with the power of AI.