Temple of the Sun, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States Dec 18, 2025

Rock layers formed over millions of years and a massive bend in the Earth"s crust give this desert a rare window into geologic history. This is Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, where sandstone cliffs and canyons preserve a striking record of the planet"s past. It was designated as a national park in 1971. Today"s featured image highlights the sandstone monoliths of Cathedral Valley, including the Temple of the Sun, part of this extraordinary, protected landscape.

© Austin Cronnelly/TANDEM Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Dec 18, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, India

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins
Oct 23, 2024Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
Feb 2, 2025Alpine marmot
Apr 10, 2025Red fox cubs near their den
Oct 27, 2023Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Oct 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA
Dec 26, 2024Christmas lights at Mousehole harbour, Cornwall, England
Aug 18, 2025Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States
Dec 3, 2024Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Mar 19, 2024Tree frog on leaf
Aug 16, 2024Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
May 5, 2025Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
May 6, 2026Thunderstorm above the plains, Bulgaria
May 28, 2026Old city wall of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, South Korea
Feb 25, 2025Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
Feb 26, 2024Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven
Sep 12, 2023North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
Jun 4, 2025Moritzburg Castle, Saxony, Germany
June 4, 2026Snowy egret preening, central Florida, United States
Jun 6, 2024Greater flamingos at Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, Camargue, France
Apr 12, 2025View from the cupola of the International Space Station
Sep 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia
Mar 8, 2024Iguazú Falls, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar, Pantanal, Brazil
Dec 11, 2025The summit of Mount Everest at sunset, seen from Renjo La, Nepal
Sep 24, 2023Fraser River near Mount Robson, British Columbia, Canada
Apr 23, 2024Library of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Jun 7, 2025Summit of Pine Mountain, Angeles National Forest, California, United States
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA