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A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
Today we’re viewing North America’s largest arts and music festival—dust free—from a satellite lens. Welcome to Black Rock City, the pop-up home of Burning Man, a raucous event that takes place in late summer each year on the sun-scorched alkali flats of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It’s an unusual set-up, a counterculture mecca where gifts reign supreme and money has no value.Desktop Version
The Tour de France begins
The Tour de France begins
The first stage of the Tour de France, known as the Grand Départ, begins today, as the 110th edition of the world"s most famous cycling race gets underway. The grueling event, first held in 1903, sees teams race more than 2,100 miles through the Pyrenees and the Alps to finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The competition is divided into 21 day-long stages and while some parts stay the same, others vary from year to year. For example, our image features the Pont du Gard—an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that was built during the first century AD—which only appeared in the 2019 race. The entire event takes place over a 23-day period, including rest days, as teams of eight cyclists compete for a cash prize and the coveted yellow jersey. For these riders, this competition is the apex of years of training and dedication. Bonne chance!Desktop Version
National Take a Hike Day
National Take a Hike Day
Take a hike, buddy! No, not the "get out of here" version but the "get out there" version. It"s time to lace up those boots and take advantage of our national trails, which span over 91,000 miles. Back in the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act into law, to preserve, promote, and develop scenic and historic trails across the country. Can"t decide where to start? Our homepage image offers up one option which is awash with fall colors—Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin. With 17 miles of trails along the Bad River, past waterfalls and ancient lava flows, this park has a lot to offer. Whether it"s a rugged mountain path, a serene forest walk, or an oceanside stroll, this country has a trail waiting for you. But remember to respect nature, follow "leave no trace" principles, and take nothing but photographs. Happy hiking!Desktop Version
Winter solstice
Winter solstice
The days only get longer from here! The Northern Hemisphere marks the beginning of winter today, but the winter solstice is also the shortest day of the year. The rainbow that encircles the sun in our image, a sun halo, is above Lake Antermoia, in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. Sun halos form when sun or moon light shines through ice crystals suspended in the upper atmosphere. When the light of the sun hits the crystals they serve as a prism, separating the light into individual colors of the spectrum, the same way rainbows occur after a rain shower.Desktop Version
Dolomites
Dolomites
Few places in Europe offer the opportunity to take in the Milky Way like the Dolomites. Far from cities and light pollution, and thousands of feet above sea level, the Dolomites offer a stunning, vibrant night sky above sheer, jagged peaks that cut the dark. Also known as the "Pale Mountains," the Dolomites are named for the sedimentary carbonate rock called dolomite that was first identified in this range.Desktop Version
Great Backyard Bird Count
Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count has begun! Time to pay more attention to our feathered friends and help scientists learn about wild bird populations. The event runs over four days and will see people using apps and websites to identify local birds and share their sightings from their backyards, or other favorite spots, for as little as 15 minutes a day.Desktop Version
Fall for birding
Fall for birding
This common loon is spreading its wings in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, near the US border with Canada and along the northern bank of Lake Superior. As temperatures cool, the protected area becomes a birder"s paradise while migrating flocks stop over on their flights south. The Superior National Forest’s 3.9 million acres and 2,000 lakes offer the right combination of water, woods, and wetlands to support over 155 species of birds, the most avian diversity found in any US national forest.Desktop Version
Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
The cold, dreary backdrop of winter can be the perfect time to show off a little color. This male mandarin duck is doing just that with his handsome crest and vibrant plumage. Come molting season, he will look more like his brown-and-white female counterpart, except for his brightly colored beak.Desktop Version
Palouse farmland, Washington state
Palouse farmland, Washington state
The Palouse region in the Pacific Northwest is known for its picturesque landscapes, agricultural heritage, and unique geological features. Those stunning hills in our homepage image were formed over tens of thousands of years, from dust and silt blown by the wind, known as loess. The Palouse"s fertile soil and climate make it ideal for farming and it is known for its wheat, barley, lentils, and other crops. With its beautiful rolling hills covered in patchworks of green and golden fields, it is often compared to Italy"s Tuscany region or the French countryside.Desktop Version
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
Today we"re taking a walk through the clouds to visit one of the most beautiful and biodiverse places on the planet. Costa Rica"s Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is in the Tilarán mountain range 5,000 feet above sea level. Hundreds of animal species and thousands of insect and plant species call the forest home. Diligent nature lovers could count nearly 700 types of butterflies and 500 species of orchids during a visit. Famous in the scientific community, the forest also attracts more than 70,000 tourists a year.Desktop Version
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion National Park, Utah
Today, we"re celebrating the 102nd anniversary of southwest Utah"s Zion National Park with a visit to its Subway slot canyon. Zion is defined by its breathtakingly steep red cliffs, its maze of sandstone canyons, and its waterfalls with colorful hanging gardens. Visitors here can trek for miles, ducking into crevices and resting in canyons once occupied by the Ancestral Puebloans.Desktop Version
World Whale Day
World Whale Day
As surely as some tourists return to Hawaii each and every year, thousands of humpback whale families, like the one seen in this photo, make an annual winter visit to the waters off Maui. They"re the reason behind today"s cetacean celebration: World Whale Day. While the observance honors whales of all kinds in all the world"s oceans, it was here in Maui that the Pacific Whale Foundation first held the event and timed it to match the yearly return of the humpbacks.Desktop Version
The party’s just starting
The party’s just starting
To usher in the summer music festival season, we take you to a pastoral hillside in the Swiss Alps for the International Alphorn Festival held each summer near the town of Nendaz. Musicians are gathering here this weekend to celebrate and blow these enormous traditional horns of the Alps. No one really knows the origin of the alphorn. We do know that for centuries, European mountain folks from the Alps and east to the Carpathian Mountains used this horn to signal to each other across great distances and to call in animal herds. Even though the horn has no valves or keyholes, it’s not easy to play and requires great lung power.Desktop Version
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
In 1846, when Congress authorized an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," no one could have predicted what the Smithsonian Institution would eventually become. Today, on our 175th anniversary, the Smithsonian is the world"s largest museum, education, and research complex. And in the decades that I have worked here—as an educator, curator, museum director, and now as Secretary—I have watched us grow into a vital and vibrant 21st-century institution: conducting groundbreaking research, becoming a national leader in K-12 education, creating new museums that represent the American experience more fully, and equipping our audiences to tackle the world"s most pressing challenges.Desktop Version
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting
As December approaches, New York gears up for a sparkling spectacle. On November 29, the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting will bring you festive vibes. The roots of this holiday tradition go back to 1931, when builders put up a balsam fir to show gratitude for their jobs amid the bleakness of the Great Depression. That tree was decorated with paper garlands and tin cans and in 1933 the first tree-lighting ceremony took place. Today, this towering Norway spruce is adorned with over 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. The illumination of the 80-foot tree is a full-blown extravaganza with musical performances and celebrity sightings. Its mesmerizing glow marks the official arrival of the holiday season in the city that never sleeps, and you don"t want to miss it!Desktop Version
Midnight sun
Midnight sun
Don"t lose your sunglasses! At least not during this time of year in Svalbard, Norway, when the sun crests the horizon and never dips below it again for more than four months. From about April 19 to August 23, it"s nothing but sunshine in this island chain above the Arctic Circle, more than 500 miles north of mainland Norway. It"s not quite a day at the beach, with average summertime high temps of 39 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (toasty compared to average wintertime temps of 5 to 9 degrees). And who knows how far it is to the nearest Ray-Ban store?Desktop Version
Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Zahara de la Sierra, a stunning whitewashed village in the hills of Cádiz province in Spain, offers a blend of history and nature in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Perched on a rocky hilltop, the village seen in today"s image overlooks the Zahara-El Gastor Reservoir and the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1977. Its Moorish castle ruins and 15th-century tower reflect its history as a medieval fortress. Stroll through streets lined with flower-filled balconies, visit the church of Santa María de la Mesa, or simply relax and take in the views. Zahara is also a gateway to adventure—activities like hiking, cycling, and kayaking are only a little of what the village has to offer.Desktop Version
Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
Heceta Head Light is perched 205 feet above the Pacific Ocean on Oregon"s central coast. The headland is named for Spanish Basque explorer Don Bruno de Heceta, who led a secret expedition in 1775 to bolster Spain"s claim to the Pacific Coast of North America. Having sailed from Mexico, by the time the voyage reached these shores, the crew was ravaged by scurvy and Heceta made the call to turn back—but not before he became the first to map and record a written description of the mouth of the Columbia River as well as this rocky 1,000-foot-high headland that would eventually bear his name. By the 19th century, seafarers making their way up and down the coast made the call for a lighthouse to guide their way. Construction of the 56-foot-tall lighthouse was complicated by the steep bluffs and remote location, but the first light beam pierced through the darkness on March 30, 1894.Desktop Version
World Water Day
World Water Day
Lake Powell, which meanders across the Utah-Arizona border, was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was built on the Colorado River in the 1960s. It is one of the two largest reservoirs in the US, alongside its downstream neighbor Lake Mead. Together, they provide water to about 40 million people in seven states, while their respective dams generate crucial hydroelectric power.Desktop Version
Cordouan Lighthouse, France
Cordouan Lighthouse, France
Built between 1584 and 1611, the Cordouan Lighthouse is France"s oldest working lighthouse and the only one in the country that is still inhabited by keepers. For centuries, this maritime marvel has watched over the Gironde Estuary, on France"s Atlantic coast, a treacherous area where shipwrecks were once common.Desktop Version
A medieval celebration in the Mediterranean
A medieval celebration in the Mediterranean
That mighty fortress at the top of the hill is called the Cittadella—it"s a medieval fortified city at the geographical center of the island of Gozo. Gozo is the second-largest island in the Maltese archipelago (after the island of Malta itself), and despite all appearances it"s the less densely populated of the two.Desktop Version
The Canary Islands, Spain
The Canary Islands, Spain
Welcome to Fuerteventura, one of Spain"s Canary Islands, found nearly 70 miles off the northwestern coast of Africa. For thousands of years, the volcanic islands have served as an international crossroads, attracting the interest of the Romans, Arab traders, and European navigators. Agriculture has long been important here, with bananas, tomatoes, and potatoes among the main crops. But while the first voyagers came in search of trade, today"s visitors come to explore the many beautiful national parks and relax on beaches like the Playa del Matorral on Fuerteventura, seen here during a spectacular sunset.Desktop Version
Muniellos Nature Reserve
Muniellos Nature Reserve
The Muniellos Nature Reserve is one of Spain"s best-preserved forests of Quercus robur, otherwise known as common oak, European oak, or English oak. The 13,560-acre reserve in Asturias province also includes sessile oaks, seen in our photo alongside beech trees.Desktop Version
Jeju Island, South Korea
Jeju Island, South Korea
The South Korean island of Jeju is full of wonders. If you don"t have a chance to visit its volcanic landscape, ancient stone statues, waterfalls, and rocky coastline, you can dive into the island"s fascinating chronicles from the comfort of your computer. The star of today"s image, Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), is the island"s rare tuff cone formation, created by an underwater volcanic eruption about 5,000 years ago. Tuff cones are also called ash cones, referring to the accumulated ash settling in a cone formation after the lava"s forceful explosion. Seongsan Ilchulbong was added to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List in 2007.Desktop Version
Maybe we should be looking up
Maybe we should be looking up
When it first flicked on the projector lights in 1930, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago was the only one in the Western Hemisphere, and it featured an innovative new lens imported from Germany. But the American public"s fascination with stars and distant worlds, it turned out, was skyrocketing. By 1934, the Adler had welcomed over a million visitors.Desktop Version