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Dec 16, 2020Beethoven s 250th

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven created melodies and harmonies we instantly recognize, even in this entertainment-saturated 21st century. Overcoming childhood abuse, hearing loss, romantic rejection, and bouts of depression and alcoholism, Beethoven channeled his stormy emotions into music that compelled audiences to viscerally feel what he felt. In the process, he helped end the regimented Classical era and usher in the Romantic period, when even the most flawed artists were sovereign.Desktop Version

Aug 7, 2021Salt of the earth

This shimmering white expanse could easily be mistaken for Antarctica. But what we"re looking at isn"t snow and ice—it"s a surreal landscape of endless salt high in the Andes of southwest Bolivia. Located at a lofty altitude of about 12,000 feet above sea level, Salar de Uyuni is the world"s largest salt flat (or salt pan), spanning just over 4,000 square miles. It was formed when prehistoric lakes dried up over centuries, leaving behind a desert of bright white salt that can be seen from space. During the rainy season (December to April), a thin layer of water covering the salt transforms the area into a giant mirror that reflects the beautiful Bolivian skies. If you"re driving across the surface at such times, it can appear as though you are navigating through a highway of clouds.Desktop Version

Nov 26, 2018A little bit of Wonderland in New York City

This statue of Alice in Wonderland is found on the east side of New York’s Central Park, near 75th Street. It was commissioned in 1959 by a philanthropist whose late wife had enjoyed reading ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to their children. "Alice" was first published on this day in 1865 by the English writer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. His story of a little girl who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world was inspired by a real girl, Alice Liddell, and it went on to become a classic, inspiring films, television shows, and artwork like this.Desktop Version

May 20, 2019The island fox’s incredible comeback

Meet the island fox, a petite resident of California’s Channel Islands National Park and a true comeback kid. The house-cat-sized creature is endemic to the islands, meaning it’s found nowhere else on Earth. In the 1990s, scientists observed the island fox population on Santa Cruz Island had dropped to fewer than 100 animals. The decline was attributed largely to golden eagles, who moved into new territory after bald eagle populations declined and found the island foxes to be easy prey. (Golden eagles are more prodigious hunters than bald eagles.) Environmental groups launched an effort to bring back the island fox, in part by relocating golden eagles, and by 2015, the population on Santa Cruz Island had rebounded to about 1,750. That’s good news for the fox–and for the entire island ecosystem. As the eagle situation demonstrated, most things in nature are interconnected.Desktop Version

Sep 7, 2018An historic forest

When explorers from Portugal landed on the shores of what is now Brazil in 1500, the Atlantic Forest, seen here, is what greeted them. Before colonization, the forest the Portuguese called ‘Mata Atlântica’ is estimated to have covered nearly 400,000 square miles, and possibly as many as 600,000. As Brazil celebrates its independence today, the Atlantic Forest is in peril--85 percent of it has been destroyed to make room for agriculture and development.Desktop Version

Mar 20, 2023Spring equinox

Every year around March 20, the sun aligns with the Earth"s equator, and day and night are about equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is called the spring or vernal equinox, and it marks the astronomical exit of winter into the brighter, warmer springtime. From now on, we can enjoy days that are longer than nights. And a sharp eye might spot a flowering crocus, like the ones in today"s image, among the first flowers to bloom every year.Desktop Version

Jan 29, 2022Brain coral

By using a long exposure and rotating the camera, a photographer highlights the spherical shape and grooved surface of a brain coral. You needn"t be a genius to guess how brain coral got its name. But you could just as easily call it "maze coral" after its labyrinthine surface. Either way, this sea organism is an apt mascot for today"s cerebral celebration: Puzzle Day!Desktop Version

Sep 10, 2021Celebrating all things Austen

Bath, in southwestern England, was the first home Jane Austen knew away from her tiny village when she moved here at about age 25. Though the author only lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806 and did little writing here, no doubt this spa city on the River Avon gave her inspiration. After all, Bath was a popular resort at the time for Britain"s upper crust—the posh, mannered society types whom Austen satirized so wittily in novels like "Pride and Prejudice."Desktop Version

Dec 19, 2021Aurora borealis

You don"t have to go all the way to Alaska to see the northern lights (they"ve been spotted as far south as Hawaii). But based on this stunner of a photo, we recommend it. And the farther north the better: Auroras are more frequent and intense the closer you are to the North Pole.Desktop Version

May 22, 2020The scene of a literary crime

Remarkable enough in itself, this 800-foot mountain waterfall is also the site of one of fiction"s most enduring showdowns between good and evil. Just outside Meiringen, Switzerland, the Reichenbach Falls are the backdrop for "The Final Problem"—the 1893 Sherlock Holmes story where, on a precipice near the falls (which in the 19th century gushed with far more power than our recent image shows), the genius detective enters a death duel with the criminal Professor Moriarty. In the end, both men plummet to their presumed doom.Desktop Version

Jul 12, 2018Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey

Lavender season is in full swing in Provence, and tourists are flocking to destinations like Sénanque Abbey to see the sweet-smelling spectacle of fields painted purple. The monks here at Sénanque cultivate lavender for their livelihood and these days the herb is in demand mostly for its essential oil, which lends a soothing scent to cosmetics, cleaning products, and even food. Lavender ice cream, lemonade, and cakes are popping up on menus around the globe.Desktop Version

Mar 20, 2020Heron lies the Salton Sea

Migratory bird species are predictable frequent fliers, taking to the sky to travel along roughly the same route, at the same time, every year. Following sources of food and water along the way, the birds often fly great distances to reach breeding grounds or places to spend the winter. Today, we"re looking at an important stopover for migratory birds—California"s largest lake, the Salton Sea.Desktop Version

Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere

As we in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to greet spring, many in Australia are probably looking forward to the end of a punishing summer. Relatively temperate autumn weather must come as a relief to our friends Down Under. Some are likely greeting the change in seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in today"s image of the Bronte Baths, an ocean pool located in a Sydney suburb. While seaside swimming pools aren"t unique to Australia, this island country is known for its many oceanside pools, which provide sheltered spots for swimming in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make ocean swimming difficult or dangerous.Desktop Version

Jul 31, 2018Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day

The wildlife ranger in today’s homepage image is conducting a bird census in the rainforests of a rare ecosystem in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. Modern-day park rangers perform a variety of tasks in their jobs, and it can be dangerous work. A ranger in the savannahs of Africa may track and apprehend poachers, while rangers in North America might brave harsh conditions to collect valuable data about the health of our forests, waters, and the critters that inhabit those places. So today, World Ranger Day, we honor the rangers who have died or were injured in the line of duty. The important work they do helps us better understand and appreciate the wild world around us.Desktop Version

Jun 1, 2018In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day

Come ashore in time to celebrate Samoa’s independence today! Ruled by New Zealand since 1914, Samoans eventually came to resent colonial authority, which many considered ineffectual and oppressive. A non-violent independence movement started gaining popular support beginning in the late 1920s. By Jan 1, 1962, Samoa became the first small-island independent nation in the South Pacific. These days, Samoans celebrate their freedom today, June 1. We hope those rowers in the canoes are back in time for the party.Desktop Version

Jan 29, 2020Staircase of turquoise pools

While it"s snowy and cold in much of the Northern Hemisphere this time of year, December and January are popular months to visit Guatemala, where the skies are clear, but everything is still green and lush from autumn rains. Nestled in the Guatemalan jungle, Semuc Champey is a hotspot for adventurous tourists. Its name means "where the river hides under the stones" in Q"eqchi", a Mayan language spoken by local communities.Desktop Version

Aug 11, 2019Storm rolls over the grasslands

Today"s image of a thunderstorm moving over grasslands in Theodore Roosevelt National Park shows the power of nature and the power of conservation. In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt, then a New York State assemblyman, traveled to the North Dakota Badlands to hunt bison. During this trip, Roosevelt fell in love with the cowboy lifestyle and the freedom he experienced. Before heading back east, he became part owner of the Maltese Cross Ranch. A year later he was back in North Dakota and had built Elkhorn Ranch. Life in the West inspired Roosevelt, who began writing books and articles about it. He would go on to establish six national parks and 18 national monuments, greatly increasing the size of the National Park System.Desktop Version

May 19, 2020Loud waters

Roaring Fork may seem like a misnomer for this mountain stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During dry spells, it"s a gentle brook. But Roaring Fork descends 2,500 feet over just 2 miles—a steep drop down Mount Le Conte. When heavy rains swell the stream, Roaring Fork transforms into a whitewater rush, with the sound of the surging water echoing off the sandstone walls of the mountain.Desktop Version

Jun 12, 2019A big birthday for Big Bend

Seventy-five years ago today, on June 12, 1944, Big Bend officially became a US national park. The park covers more than 800,000 acres in West Texas along the Mexico border. The vast protected area contains mountain, river, and desert ecosystems, including the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. But the ‘big’ doesn"t stop there. Big Bend is home to 1,200 species of plants, over 450 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, and 56 species of reptiles. (We"re not sure how many of those are snakes, if you"re wondering.) Because of its remote location, Big Bend also has among the darkest skies ever measured in the contiguous US. So tonight, the only light you"ll likely see is the glow from 75 birthday candles—and a few million stars.Desktop Version

Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds

We"re at the northernmost tip of Mallorca"s rugged Cap de Formentor, a 7-mile-long slab of rock that"s home to one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the Mediterranean Sea. Built atop this Spanish island in 1863 at 689 feet above sea level, the beacon still shines (by solar power now), protecting ships from the rocky coastline below. The wild and rugged Cap de Formentor is accessible by a twisty road that offers incomparable views along the way—including several beautiful beaches and, since 1929, the Hotel Formentor, a glamorous icon for Mediterranean jetsetters. During its heyday in the mid-20th century, the hotel was a destination for celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Today, the cape is less known for its star-studded past and more for protecting and conserving its natural and unspoiled beauty.Desktop Version

Jul 24, 2020Trunks stick together

In honor of Cousins Day, we"re looking at a pair of African elephants who seem to have nothing but love for each other. Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female-led groups. The matriarch—usually the biggest and oldest female—leads an extended family group that includes aunts, sisters, and their young, so a given herd is likely to be full of cousins.Desktop Version

Sep 2, 2018Row, row, row your gondola

History comes alive on the Grand Canal of Venice for the Regata Storica di Venezia, an annual event marked by pageantry, tradition, and of course—boat races. The 2018 regatta, which occurs today, will include a parade with Venetians in historical dress and plenty of gondolas, which once served as the city’s primary means of transport. (What a way to travel!) Visitors will see the canals packed with boats of all shapes and sizes as the city celebrates its seafaring culture.Desktop Version

Nov 13, 2018Autumn’s swan song

Each fall thousands of tundra swans can be seen in the Mississippi River Valley—a migration corridor for many species of waterfowl. Birders in Minnesota may spot the tundra swans as they make their way to favored wintering grounds in coastal regions of the US. They travel in family groups of about a hundred, and if you can’t see them, you’re bound to hear them. Tundra swans are a noisy bunch—they have a high-pitched honking call and are especially vocal while foraging.Desktop Version

Apr 17, 2020It s a ruff life

Native to forests rich in aspens and poplars across Canada and the US, ruffed grouse are nonmigratory birds who spend their entire lives in the same area. This one"s posing for us in the forest of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Depending on the habitat they"re in, their feathers can range in color from gray to red as a means of camouflage to protect themselves from predators. They get their name from the ruff of dark feathers on their neck. Despite being primarily ground-dwelling birds, ruffed grouse can be quite the acrobatic fliers when needed. They excel at flying in short spurts and are skilled at making sharp twists and turns when navigating through thick deciduous forests. How"s that for beauty and brawn?Desktop Version

Oct 31, 2019Protect your neck

Happy Halloween, boos and ghouls! We hope our vampire isn"t too scary on this day designed for spooky delights. The fortress in our image is Romania"s Corvin Castle—not far from Transylvania, a real historical region in Romania. In Bram Stoker"s novel "Dracula," the ghoulish Count Dracula lives in a remote Transylvanian castle, cementing the place in popular imagination as the home of vampires.Desktop Version

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