Bing wallpaper for mobile

Hottest Latest
The lights of Paris
The lights of Paris
As twilight turns to night, the city of Paris lights up. Streets and buildings are bathed in light, alongside grand monuments such as the Hôtel National des Invalides, whose famous dome shines out in our homepage image. It was built during the 17th century under Louis XIV, as a hospital and home for army veterans. It was also Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, who ordered streetlights to be erected throughout the city to light up dark alleys where lawbreakers might lurk. Parisians were also asked to put up lanterns and oil lamps, and place lit candles in their windows.Desktop Version
National Lighthouse Day
National Lighthouse Day
Happy National Lighthouse Day! A beacon, a warning, and a symbol of hope and home, lighthouses have existed for thousands of years. The earliest known was the Pharos of Alexandria, which stood an estimated 330 feet tall. Built by the ancient Egyptians in the 3rd century BCE, an open fire was lit at its highest part to guide ships into port. Illumination technology advanced over the centuries, culminating in today"s electric versions beaming light that can be seen from over 20 miles away. North Carolina"s Bodie Island Lighthouse, pictured here, was built in 1872 and overlooks a section of ocean once known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Since then, it"s been doing its best to outshine the stars above, as it guides sailors home to safe harbor.Desktop Version
Paleontology meets art
Paleontology meets art
Though it looks like a fresco from ancient Greece, this is the fossilized remains of a fern found in Córdoba, Spain. The fossil dates back to the Carboniferous period, roughly 350 million years ago. This is a "compression fossil"—where a small amount of the original plant material was retained with the mineral deposits that helped form the impression. Why all the paleobotany talk? It"s National Fossil Day, and we’re excited! Whether you make a trip to your local natural history museum, trek off to a national park with a fossil exhibit, or just look at fossil photos on the web, we hope you find a fun way to celebrate National Fossil Day.Desktop Version
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
For World Refugee Day, we"re featuring an aerial view of "Beyond Walls," an art installation by the French artist Saype. In the span of five years, he aims to create the longest symbolic human chain around the world by constructing outdoor designs of interlaced hands just like this in over 20 cities. The first four were completed in 2019 in Paris, Andorra, Berlin and Geneva, Switzerland, shown here.Desktop Version
Aprils full moon
Aprils full moon
The full moon has inspired folklore, myths, writers, and artists throughout history and has been given many names, depending on the time of year it appears. April"s first full moon is known as the pink moon, but that doesn’t mean it will appear pink against the night sky. Native Americans named it for the pink wildflowers, moss pink or creeping phlox, that bloom in the eastern US in the spring.Desktop Version
Notes from an underground lake
Notes from an underground lake
The Ruskeala Mountain Park is an eerily beautiful reminder of the booming mining industry that thrived for centuries in this area of Russia near the border with Finland. Located on the site of an abandoned marble quarry, the park opened to the public in 2005. The centuries-old quarry has been flooded with groundwater since the end of World War II, although some old buildings and kilns from the mines are still intact.Desktop Version
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The winds of history have long blown through the beautiful halls of the Alhambra. Though it had been the location of fortresses as far back as the 800s, construction of the Alhambra (Arabic for "red castle") began in 1238 under the rule of Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Emirate of Granada. Ensuing leaders would continue construction of the complex, turning it into one of the finest examples of architecture from the historic Islamic world. The palace was the final hold of the Moors before the completion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, when the Alhambra became the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella. They greeted Christopher Columbus there later that same year.Desktop Version
World Sea Turtle Day
World Sea Turtle Day
Happy World Sea Turtle Day! Today people around the world gather to clean beaches and help animals like this hawksbill sea turtle thrive. The largest populations of hawksbill sea turtles are found in the Caribbean, Indian, and Indo-Pacific Oceans but you"ll find sea turtles in every ocean, except the Arctic and Antarctic.Desktop Version
International Tiger Day
International Tiger Day
It"s International Tiger Day! A day to celebrate these magnificent animals and consider how best they can be protected. The largest wild cats in the world, all tiger species are endangered, facing challenges including habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade, and poaching. The Bengal tiger, an iconic subspecies primarily found in India, is the star of today"s image. As apex predators, Bengal tigers play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling populations of deer, wild boar, and bison. With an estimated population in the wild of between 2,500 and 3,000, tiger conservation is crucial to secure the future of this majestic species.Desktop Version
Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia
Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia
In a country more famous for its coastline, about a million visitors each year venture inland to amble along these boardwalks and marvel at spectacular lakes and mountains. Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest and largest of Croatia"s national parks. The big attraction is the series of 16 descending, turquoise-colored lakes, connected by subterranean karst rivers, and above ground by streams and waterfalls. The lakes are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is created by the interplay of water, plant material, and bacteria. The water changes color from green to azure to gray depending on the angle of the light and the density of minerals and organisms in the water. About 11 miles of wooden boardwalk make it easy for people to wander among the lakes, falls, and caves that are open to visitors year-round.Desktop Version
Llama Day
Llama Day
Prick up your ears and crane your neck—it"s National Llama Day. Part of a family that includes camels, alpacas, and guanacos, llamas have long been domesticated in South America because of their hardiness and ability to thrive on the bleak vegetation in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes. At up to 6 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds, they were used primarily as pack animals for about 6,500 years. They were also bred as a source of food, hides, tallow for candles, dung for fuel, and fabric. While inferior to alpaca and guanaco wool, llama fleece is soft, warm, durable, and fairly lightweight. It"s used for clothing, rugs, and rope.Desktop Version
The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
The Spirit of Harlem by Louis Delsarte
On International Jazz Day, we"re looking at "The Spirit of Harlem," a glass mosaic mural by artist Louis Delsarte. Located near the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City"s Harlem neighborhood, it depicts, among others, jazz greats Cab Calloway and Count Basie. Originally commissioned in 2005, the mural was covered up in 2017 when a new store moved into its location. After a petition and protests, the retailer worked with Delsarte to restore the mural and add a new plaque dedicating it to the Harlem community. Delsarte, whose other works include a 125-foot-long mural at the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium in Atlanta, died in May 2020.Desktop Version
An impactful day
An impactful day
We"ll be the ones to drop the news on you: It"s Asteroid Day! Today you"re invited to explore a realm of science usually encountered only through white-knuckle action flicks: asteroid impact avoidance, or the study of what the heck we do if we spot a big chunk of space junk hurtling right at Earth. That"s right, don"t worry: People somewhere are coming up with plans for this.Desktop Version
Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
For the first day of Losar, or the Tibetan New Year, we"re paying a visit to these Buddhist pilgrims at the Ganden Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. Losar is celebrated for 15 days, but most events occur in the first three days. They include wishing family members a prosperous year, praying at monasteries or temples, exchanging gifts, burning incense, chanting, wrestling, horse racing, and more. Celebrations for the new year end with Chotrul Duchen, or the Butter Lamp Festival. The pilgrims in today"s image are releasing prayer flags called "wind horses" or lungtas, a ritual they perform for Losar and during the rest of the year as well. Upon releasing the prayer flags, the pilgrims ask the mountain deity to "increase their fortune like the galloping of a horse and expand their prosperity like the boiling over of milk."Desktop Version
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a North American tradition with roots in the February 2 Candlemas observance practiced by German immigrants. The most well-known Groundhog Day celebration, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, was first promoted by a local newspaper editor in 1886. Thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney each year to witness the groundhog emerge from its burrow, and more importantly, to see if the critter spots its shadow. If it does, winter will go on for six weeks, according to tradition. If it does not, spring-like conditions are said to be coming. Studies have yet to prove any link between the two events, but that hasn’t cast a shadow over this unusual tradition, which remains as popular as ever in the 21st century.Desktop Version
The Old City of Bern
The Old City of Bern
Welcome to a wintry wonderland in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We"re in Bern"s medieval center—the Old City—which looks much as it did when many of these buildings were constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries.Desktop Version
A shell of many colors
A shell of many colors
We could perhaps fool you and claim you"re viewing a long-lost Jackson Pollock canvas, but it was Mother Nature who painted this blackfoot paua (aka rainbow abalone) shell. And modern art it ain"t: Fossils from similar marine gastropods date back at least 65 million years.Desktop Version
Dark Sky Week
Dark Sky Week
During International Dark Sky Week, we"re counting ourselves lucky to have this spectacular nighttime view, considering the astonishing fact that 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky. Unneeded artificial light is classified as a pollutant and has been proven to have harmful side effects. Not only does it waste money and energy, it also disrupts plants and animals, is believed to impact the climate, and blocks our view of the universe.Desktop Version
Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
Today we"re in Pismo Beach, California, to celebrate one of the best-known species of butterflies—the monarch. Western Monarch Day marks their seasonal migration to California"s Central Coast from cold northern locations west of the Rocky Mountains.Desktop Version
The lemurs of Madagascar
The lemurs of Madagascar
What better place to ring in World Lemur Day than Madagascar? The island, about the size of Texas off the coast of southeastern Africa, is the native home to lemurs. Today you"ll find over 100 species and subspecies of the critters here. Most are small, with a pointed nose, large eyes, and a tail. They mainly live in trees and can be highly social, like the ring-tailed lemurs on our homepage, or live a solo existence like the elusive aye-aye. Lemurs have opposable thumbs and five fingers with fingernails on each hand, characteristics that help secure their spot as members of the primate order of mammals. About 65 million years ago, scientists believe, lemurs drifted on rafts of vegetation from the African continent to the shores of Madagascar. Safe from competition and most predators, lemurs evolved into many highly specialized varieties and now can be found in almost all habitats on the island.Desktop Version
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day
They might look like spaceships from a retro sci-fi movie, but these strange shapes hovering above the mountains in Patagonia are of earthly origin. These are lenticular clouds, named after their lens-like shape. They form near hills and mountains where moist air is pushed up and over the peaks, cooling as it rises and condensing into water droplets. As wind blows over the mountains it can create a series of waves in the air, and these unusual clouds form in the crest of those waves.Desktop Version
Bridge of Hillsborough County
Bridge of Hillsborough County
The Hancock-Greenfield Bridge (aka County Bridge) has offered a picturesque passage over the Contoocook River in southern New Hampshire since 1937. It was built to replace another covered bridge that had been destroyed in a flood. But why even build a covered bridge? In a word, longevity. The roof and walls help protect the timber supports from rot. For comparison, an uncovered wooden bridge lasts an average of 20 years, while the covered variety can reach 100 years or more.Desktop Version
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day
Sculptor William "Bill" Tarr created the large, untitled memorial that welcomes students to Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus in Manhattan. The steel block features quotations from King and famous phrases from the civil rights movement. It was designed to weather over time, changing in color and texture as it ages. The school was founded in 1975 and is now home to seven distinct high schools, each focusing on a different discipline, including law, technology, and the arts.Desktop Version
San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
We’re celebrating Pride weekend with a view onto a Beaux-Arts gem that has a prominent place in the history of gay rights and culture. Even the city of San Francisco itself has played an outsized role in fostering gay pride, community, and visibility. It’s a legacy that can be traced along the timeline of the city’s many firsts. The San Francisco Bay Area held one of the first Pride parades after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, the event that sparked the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBTQI+ civil rights. This is just part of the heritage that will be celebrated at San Francisco’s Pride this weekend, where people will be marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. A big parade is planned with vibrant displays that will decorate Market Street, continuing all the way to the Golden Gate City’s Civic Center.Desktop Version
Pont Rouge
Pont Rouge
When the Pont Rouge (Red Bridge) of Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière was built over the Palmer River in 1928, covered bridges were already commonplace here in Quebec. Simple designs imported from the United States allowed relatively untrained workers to quickly construct crossings like this. "Ponts rouges" (often called this whether or not they were painted red) popped up wherever rural French Canadians required a convenient river crossing—as many as 1,500 were built between the late 1800s and the 1950s. Today fewer than 100 still stand, and some—like this one—are protected by local and provincial agencies for historic preservation.Desktop Version