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In praise of the old…the very old
In praise of the old…the very old
What better way to honor National Fossil Day than with this amazing dragonfly! It"s rare to find one in such exquisite condition, but this one was discovered in Solnhofen, Germany, where limestone deposits preserved some of the most detailed fossils ever found—including the birdlike dinosaur called Archaeopteryx. This dragonfly was preserved in the Solnhofen limestone about 150 million years ago in the Jurassic Period. It measures about 5.5 inches across.Desktop Version
It s ∞ Day!
It s ∞ Day!
Gustave Flaubert wrote that "an infinity of passion can be contained in one minute." So, if you have boundless passion for contemplating the immeasurable, a full day should offer plenty of time. August 8 (8/8) is Infinity Day since the numeral 8 looks like a tilted ∞, the common symbol for infinity first popularized in 17th-century math books. But the concept of infinity itself represents an idea much older, inherent in the countless spiritual traditions that revere eternal gods or outline endless life cycles.Desktop Version
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel
Rising majestically out of the bay, Mont-Saint-Michel is once again a true island, at least during high tides. A crude, elevated causeway built in the 19th century once connected Mont-Saint-Michel to the mainland, allowing visitors to walk across to the spectacular rock. But in 2014, the causeway was removed and replaced by an elegant, curving bridge above the tidal flats. Now water flows freely around the monument at high tide, making the tiny island fortress a real island for the first time in more than a century.Desktop Version
Take this for a spin...
Take this for a spin...
In 1851, when French physicist Léon Foucault performed his pendulum experiment in Paris, he became the first to prove what many scientists of his day already suspected—that the Earth spins on an axis. He conducted his first experiments 170 years ago, in early January 1851, with a relatively small prototype in the cellar of his home. Just a month later, Foucault performed his most famous pendulum demonstration, using a 62-pound spherical weight attached to a 220-foot wire, which was hung from the dome of the Panthéon, a Parisian monument. As the pendulum swung back and forth in a fixed plane, the pointed end of the weight traced lines in a compass-like circle of sand below it. As time passed, the angle of these lines began to change, demonstrating to onlookers that the Earth itself was rotating underneath the pendulum, and by extension, everyone watching was rotating as well, spinning on the surface of the great blue marble around its axis.Desktop Version
A Festivus for the rest of us
A Festivus for the rest of us
We didn"t have a Festivus pole handy, so we"re bringing you near the South Pole, where two gentoo penguins seem to be sharing a loud "Airing of Grievances." December 23 marks Festivus, a tongue-in-cheek observance created by writer Daniel O"Keefe. At first an O"Keefe family inside joke, Festivus was rebranded as a rejection of Christmas-season commercialism and written into a 1997 episode of "Seinfeld" by Daniel"s son Dan. The show introduced such goofy new traditions as the "Airing of Grievances," "Feats of Strength," and identifying "Festivus miracles."Desktop Version
3,000 years of history
3,000 years of history
These massive temples—known today as Abu Simbel—were built in the 13th century BCE by the pharaoh Ramesses II. He left a legacy of monuments and temples across Egypt, many of which, like Abu Simbel, featured Ramesses II himself as the star attraction. But over the centuries, these temples were almost completely buried in sand and forgotten. It was not until the early 1800s when an explorer saw the heads of the colossal statues poking through the sand that the temples were again discovered. Then in the 20th century, construction of a dam on the Nile River formed Lake Nasser, a massive reservoir that would have flooded the site where the temples stood. To save them from inundation, the temples were disassembled and relocated to a nearby hill. The process took almost five years and required that workers cut the temples into pieces and reassemble them exactly as they were built 3,000 years ago. We think Ramesses II would approve.Desktop Version
Freeze frame
Freeze frame
A lot of work goes into taking great photos, as this emperor penguin can attest. The best photographers find the right location, have mastery over their equipment, and ensure they"re ready when the magic happens. Of course, it helps to recognize a chance at an unusual shot, like when curious emperor penguins in Antarctica invite themselves to your shoot.Desktop Version
Just another day in paradise
Just another day in paradise
It takes some effort to reach the stunning Nā Pali Coast on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Located on the island"s northwest side and stretching about 16 miles, Nā Pali isn"t accessible by car. You have to hike in, fly in by helicopter, or come at it from the sea by boat. In the summer, when the waves are calm, you can explore the rugged coast by kayak, but you"ll need a solid supply of muscle power for the sometimes-grueling paddle. If you seek a gentler approach—and if COVID restrictions allow—book a boat trip to explore the interiors of the sea caves that dot the shore. Today, we"re looking down on the Bright Eye sea cave, one of several caves on the Nā Pali Coast that lost their ceilings to the pounding of the sea.Desktop Version
In honor of those we ve lost
In honor of those we ve lost
Today we"re featuring the view from the Empty Sky memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River, to where the World Trade Center"s Twin Towers once stood in New York City"s lower Manhattan. The Empty Sky memorial honors the 749 people from New Jersey who were killed on September 11, 2001. Their names are etched on two massive steel walls that form a tunnel directing the visitor"s gaze to one of the sites of the deadliest terrorist attack in history. The name Empty Sky comes directly from a song by New Jersey"s favorite son, Bruce Springsteen, about the "empty sky" where the Twin Towers once stood before they were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.Desktop Version
Cheese! We ll go somewhere where there s cheese!
Cheese! We ll go somewhere where there s cheese!
Ahh, the pastoral countryside of the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England. Dewy mornings, grazing farm animals, hand-built dry stone walls, and…cheese? Well, if you"re a fan of the beloved British claymation series "Wallace & Gromit," you may have first heard of this area of the Dales, Wensleydale, because of its local cheese. In fact, the animated duo"s notorious affinity for the local curd—which Wallace likes because producers thought saying it makes his face look "nice and toothy"—became so widespread that it helped the Wensleydale cheesemakers stave off bankruptcy.Desktop Version
A toast to California!
A toast to California!
Today we"re celebrating the 169th anniversary of the Golden State"s admission into the Union with an appropriately golden image of a Central Coast winery and landscape. In 1850, just 14 months after the peace treaty ending the Mexican-American War ceded most of California along with a large portion of western territory to the US, the former self-proclaimed California Republic became the 31st state. California is one of only six states admitted to the Union without first being recognized as a US territory. Some link this to the California Gold Rush, which began in January 1848 and rapidly increased the California population by more than 1,000 percent.Desktop Version
From garden to table?
From garden to table?
Depending on where you live, you may know these snails as Burgundy, Roman, or edible snails. Yes, that last name acknowledges that these garden dwellers are often prepared as a food item, usually called ‘escargot’—the French word for ‘snail.’ In late spring and early summer, the adult snails will lay eggs and cover them up, leaving the young to hatch and survive on their own. Given that the adult snail in our photo is 1.5 inches tall, it puts the juvenile snail’s size into perspective.Desktop Version
The Hermitage of Santa Justa
The Hermitage of Santa Justa
Today"s image brings us to Cantabria, a rugged region on the north coast of Spain. To reach this isolated stone hut, you"ll need to wait until the frothing waters of the Bay of Biscay hit low tide, then traverse a silty path to the structure"s façade. Peering in the windows, you"ll see a cavernous room adorned with shrines—the long-abandoned living quarters of a religious hermit who dwelt here in the 8th century. Not your typical waterfront condo, but hey, it"s cozy.Desktop Version
Dashing through the snow
Dashing through the snow
While many associate reindeer with the wonder of the holidays, these animals are magical in their own way. Known in North America as caribou, reindeer are well adapted to live in cold, rugged Arctic regions, like northern Norway where this herd was photographed. They"re built to withstand frigid temperatures with the help of thick, dense fur and noses that warm the air before they breathe it in.Desktop Version
Monarch butterflies migrate south
Monarch butterflies migrate south
Fall sets in motion a journey of some 3,000 miles for these monarch butterflies, which migrate from southern Canada to their wintering habitat in central Mexico. There, they cluster together in fir trees, creating the illusion of orange, fluttering foliage. They’ll remain in their winter roosts until March, when the journey back north begins. But no one individual monarch will complete the full roundtrip, which exceeds the normal monarch lifespan; instead it will take four generations of monarchs to complete the full migration, each individual seemingly driven by an internal compass that guides its flight path.Desktop Version
Autumn in the cypress swamp
Autumn in the cypress swamp
Autumn still brings a splash of color to this hardwood forest of bald cypress in Louisiana. But make no mistake, a stroll through these wetlands is not a cozy New England leaf-peeping journey. The swamp forest floor is often covered by the waters of the Atchafalaya River delta as it drains into the Gulf of Mexico, so the autumn colors here are best viewed from the seat of a canoe or a pirogue, as the local Cajuns use. The water-resistant bald cypress trees thriving in the Atchafalaya Basin constitute the largest tract of contiguous cypress forest in the United States. The ecosystem here is so unlike any other in the US, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area organization calls it "America"s foreign country."Desktop Version
Water colors
Water colors
Xiechi Lake in Yuncheng, China, has such a high level of salinity, it"s sometimes called China"s Dead Sea. But unlike the Dead Sea in the Middle East, Xiechi Lake supports abundant microscopic life: algae and other microorganisms that have a high tolerance for the salt. In summer and autumn, the lake temperature is high enough to spark algae blooms, bringing a variety of intense colors to the lake water.Desktop Version
Welcome to Scotland s garden
Welcome to Scotland s garden
Today, we"re in the "Garden of Scotland," better known as the East Lothian region, to pay homage to the area"s agricultural roots on Lammas Day. Also known as Loaf Mass Day, it"s an observance that marks the beginning of the harvest season and is traditionally celebrated on August 1. The holiday is descended from the ancient British tradition known during the Middle Ages as the Gule of August and was gradually incorporated into the Christian liturgy celebrating Holy Communion. It gets its name from loaves of bread baked from the first harvested grain of the season each year.Desktop Version
Feeling lazy? Today s your day.
Feeling lazy? Today s your day.
Isn"t it odd that many of us don"t have to work on Labor Day, but International Sloth Day is just another Wednesday? If you"re moving slowly today, that"s just fine: You"re outpacing today"s homepage subject, which spends 90% of its time scarcely moving a muscle.Desktop Version
Moving as one
Moving as one
After the nesting and breeding seasons of spring and summer have passed, starlings become highly social birds, often gathering in flocks that number in the thousands. These flocks sometimes take the form of a murmuration—when the birds form a group large and dense enough that they appear to move together as a single organism, even if the movements seem arbitrary. Though scientists still don"t quite understand how the individual starlings in a murmuration coordinate their tight, fluid formations, the behavior is thought to be a way to confuse predators.Desktop Version
A sea of swirling stone
A sea of swirling stone
By showing you this coveted sight, we"re saving you a bit of an ordeal. For a close-up view like this of "The Wave," a whorled sandstone formation in the northern Arizona wilderness, you"d have to navigate a rugged and mostly trail-free route with a permit in your pocket (only a small number are available, offered via a daily lottery). But that"s just one day hike of many in the expansive Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, which encompasses almost 300,000 acres of Arizona and Utah canyonland.Desktop Version
Celebrating Flag Day
Celebrating Flag Day
June 14 is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777. Our nation"s first official flag had 13 stars and 13 red and white stripes to represent the original 13 colonies that broke from British rule. The stars were arranged on a blue background to represent a "new constellation." In 1795, two more stars and two stripes were added to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union. Then in 1818, Congress passed a plan to go back to 13 stripes and add only stars for new states. The current version of the flag has been in effect since 1960, after Hawaii became a state the prior year. The flags we"re looking at here are flying in New Jersey"s Liberty State Park, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.Desktop Version
Grab onto the handlebars, kid
Grab onto the handlebars, kid
How does a bearded tamarin celebrate Father"s Day? Maybe by giving piggyback rides to pint-sized monkeys. From day one, both male and female bearded emperor tamarin babies (like the one hitching a ride in this photo), start growing their trademark handlebar mustaches and wispy beards. These diminutive residents of the Amazon basin are highly social animals. Females often give birth to twins and stay pretty busy during the day nursing them. After the babies are fed, the males watch over the youngsters by carrying them around on their backs. By the time the young tamarins reach two months old their pops become the primary caregivers, providing food and showing the ropes of the rainforest to their young charges—where to find fruit and nectar in the dry season, how to leap from branch to branch, and the best ways to groom those outrageous mustaches and beards.Desktop Version
Playa del Amor, Marietas Islands, Mexico
Playa del Amor, Marietas Islands, Mexico
This gorgeous shot was taken at Playa del Amor—aka Hidden Beach—a remote destination off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, known for its pristine beauty. To get to it, visitors need to take a boat toward the mouth of Banderas Bay at the base of the Marietas Islands. Once there, they swim through a tunnel at low tide to reach the beach. The walls hide a sandy cove, where the turquoise waters contrast with flora-laden cliffs that perfectly frame the blue sky overhead. Playa del Amor (Lovers" Beach) is popular among tourists, but the number of visitors is limited to preserve its natural beauty and ecosystem.Desktop Version
Deep in the North Woods wetlands
Deep in the North Woods wetlands
To celebrate American Wetlands Month, we"re flying over Norcross Brook, which snakes through the wetlands of Maine"s North Woods near Moosehead Lake. Wetlands like these are an often underappreciated natural resource. They act as vital links between the land and our planet"s watersheds, playing a crucial role in protecting healthy ecosystems. In addition to providing indispensable habitat for the many species that call them home, wetlands filter our drinking water and cycle nutrients. They also provide a natural buffer from storms, absorb flood waters, and capture carbon from the atmosphere—all of which help to mitigate the impact of climate change.Desktop Version