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A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
The mining industry in Sardinia, Italy, was booming in the early 20th century, as European nations looked to reconstruct from the damage of World War I. But Sardinians faced myriad logistical issues trying to export the zinc, lead, and other minerals that were in high demand. Miners on the island were using modern techniques to extract more and more ore, but it wasn"t until 1924, when engineer Cesare Vecelli designed and built the mining infrastructure along the cliffs in Porto Flavia, that getting ore off the island matched their ability to extract it.Desktop Version
The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
This massive carving was to be larger than most other obelisks of Egypt 3,500 years ago. But because the nearly 140-foot creation developed a significant fissure in the stone, it was abandoned, inspiring the current name: The Unfinished Obelisk. The stone quarries here in Aswan, a city in southern Egypt, offer a glimpse of the industry that once fueled the region’s economy.Desktop Version
Of balloons and lost pantaloons
Of balloons and lost pantaloons
We all fly by the seat of our pants now and then, but how about flying with no pants at all? That was the plight of Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries, who on January 7, 1785, made history over these chalk cliffs with the first aerial crossing of the English Channel. When their hydrogen-filled balloon dropped altitude due to overloading, the two tossed all the cargo they could into the drink below, britches included. Reaching France in their underpants, the undoubtedly chilly pilots still received a warm welcome.Desktop Version
Think deep thoughts
Think deep thoughts
Some of you Navy vets—and fans of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "The Hunt for Red October," or "Das Boot"—might get a familiar wave of claustrophobia from today"s picture. For National Submarine Day, we"re in the forward engine room of the USS Drum, a historic US Navy submarine displayed at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama. The Drum was the first deployed of the Gato-class subs—the line of boats that, with variations, made up most of the US submarine force during World War II. Decommissioned shortly after the war, the submarine is now in dry dock and open for public tours.Desktop Version
At the foot of Dubrovnik s Gibraltar
At the foot of Dubrovnik s Gibraltar
The stairs in today"s photo lead to Fort Lovrijenac, an 11th-century fortress jutting out into the Adriatic Sea just outside the western wall of Dubrovnik, Croatia. "Game of Thrones" fans will recognize these doors as entrances to a dwelling in the fictional city of King"s Landing. Legend claims that when the fort was built on this rocky coastal outpost, it took just three months to construct. The locals of what was then Ragusa knew they had limited time before their rivals, the Venetians, would arrive to build their own outpost and rule over them. According to "The Chronicles of Ragusa," the plan worked—the fort was completed just as the surprised Venetians arrived in ships heavy with supplies.Desktop Version
Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
Perhaps there"s no better place to watch the northern lights dance above you than curled up in bed under the glass dome of a heated igloo here in Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland. There are other glass-domed hotels to choose from in Lapland, but the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, shown here, is the most famous. Visitors come to view the aurora borealis, or northern lights, and for various outdoor sports. There"s cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing, dogsledding, and even reindeer-drawn sleigh rides to keep you entertained during the short winter days. Evenings are spent dining (yes, reindeer may be on the menu), warming up in the sauna, and for some, sleeping under the stars and the swirling, hypnotic northern lights.Desktop Version
A place fit for the gods
A place fit for the gods
Perhaps it was inevitable that this park on the western edge of Colorado Springs was named Garden of the Gods. One of the surveyors who established the city was so struck by the beauty of the rock formations here that he thought it a suitable setting for the gods to assemble, and so lent the spot its name. But the native Ute people also have divine associations with the area, which their creation myth names as the place where all life began. Today, it’s a popular public park and National Natural Landmark. Because it’s within the city limits, locals and visitors alike can get a heaping dose of nature without having to travel far from civilization. If you stroll by any of the rock formations here, you’re likely to see a climber or two scaling the red and pink sandstone walls—or ‘fins’—that give the park its distinct look.Desktop Version
Caribou on the move
Caribou on the move
Each fall a quarter-million caribou come together to form the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, a group that makes an epic migration through northwest Alaska. The caribou move south from their calving grounds in the Utukok River Uplands to their winter range on the Seward Peninsula. Fall is also the time when scientists attach radio collars to members of the herd, to track their location and health, and to gain information that will help conserve the species. When spring arrives, the caribou will complete the trip again in reverse, covering a total of 2,000 miles each year, give or take.Desktop Version
A snuggling ball of cute
A snuggling ball of cute
We don"t really need an excuse to feature this adorable photo of twin cubs asleep inside a snow den in Wapusk National Park in Manitoba, Canada. But it just so happens that today is International Polar Bear Day, the perfect day for this shot from the 2007 documentary film "Earth," which focuses on wild habitats and creatures across the planet.Desktop Version
Travel Sunday: Liverpool
Travel Sunday: Liverpool
We approach Liverpool, our Travel Sunday destination, by the River Mersey. And to hear natives of Liverpool tell it, the Mersey is the only river that matters. The Mersey helped build Liverpool into a powerful port city during the 19th century as industrialization really took hold. Today, you may know Liverpool by some of the famous musicians—Beatles, cough—that got their start in a city once called ‘the New York of Europe.’Desktop Version
Singing praises of the oceans
Singing praises of the oceans
In Japan, mid-July brings an excuse to head to the beach. That"s because this time of year marks Marine Day (aka Ocean Day), an observance recognizing the close bond the island nation shares with the seas and ocean that surround it. Because Marine Day roughly coincides with the end of the rainy season, it has, over the years, become a sort of unofficial kickoff to the hot summer season. One place sure to attract visitors is the picturesque Minokake-Iwa rock formation seen here, lying off the island of Honshu and its mountainous 31-mile-long Izu Peninsula.Desktop Version
We stand with Ukraine
We stand with Ukraine
Ukraine grows so many sunflowers they"ve become regarded as the country"s national flower—and recently, as a symbol of resistance. Just like sunflowers standing tall against a blue sky, the people of Ukraine are holding strong while an unlawful invasion threatens their democracy. As Ukrainians battle for their nation"s existence, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes to an uncertain future.Desktop Version
A whale of a hug
A whale of a hug
This time of year, humpback whales make their annual trip to the warm waters of the South Pacific to mate. Today"s image finds us swimming alongside a humpback mother and her young calf near the Polynesian island chain of Tonga. There are six main humpback populations in the southern Pacific, and this pair is part of the one that"s often called the "Tongan Tribe." The humpbacks of the Tongan Tribe return each year from their feeding grounds off Antarctica—a journey of more than 4,000 miles. Through November, the cows will stay in this region while their newborn calves grow strong enough to make the trek back to the cold Antarctic waters where their main food source—the small crustacean called krill—is abundant.Desktop Version
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
With a name like ‘widowbird,’ you’d expect this dusky male to have a low-key love life. But those 20-inch-long tail feathers are highly favored by females, even though they can make it difficult for the males to fly on windy days. The display has been the subject of much study regarding sexually selected traits and the tradeoffs between physical constraint and attracting a mate, since the tail feathers don’t seem to aid in flight and may even cause a hinderance. Ah, the things we do for love.Desktop Version
Red skies at Ruby Beach
Red skies at Ruby Beach
Our National Park Week virtual tour comes to a close at sunset on Ruby Beach, one of the many stunning corners of Olympic National Park in Washington state. A few miles from the shore is Destruction Island, where birds such as rhinoceros auklets may stop and rest after a day of gobbling up krill and squid in the cold Pacific waters. While the park includes miles of colorful Pacific coastline, it"s also famous for the Hoh Rainforest, an inland temperate forest notable for its towering old-growth hemlock and spruce trees.Desktop Version
Marine Day in Japan
Marine Day in Japan
In Japan, the third Monday in July is Marine Day (also known as Ocean Day), a day to show appreciation for the seas and oceans. Other nationalities have similar observances, but as inhabitants of an island nation, people in Japan can claim a particularly strong connection to the waters that surround them. The modern holiday also serves as an official start of summer in Japan, and many folks hit the beach to celebrate the end of tsuyu, the rainy season. The holiday started as Marine Memorial Day in 1941 to mark the anniversary of the return of the Meji Emperor from a voyage in 1876, but it wasn"t observed as a national holiday until 1996. Some also mark Marine Day with environmentally friendly activities. In Okinawa, people throw EM (effective microorganism) mudballs into the sea—these contain bacteria and yeast targeted at eliminating sludge and slime. Other areas host beach cleanups and aquariums host special Marine Day events.Desktop Version
Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
It’s easy to see how this brightly colored art installation near Jean Dry Lake caught the eye of photographer Renz Alfonso Dela Pena, the winner of the Bing #Amplifyingenuity photo contest. The installation, created by artist Ugo Rondinone, includes seven towers of boulders that reach up to 30 feet high. Its bold colors are meant to contrast with the stark landscape here in the Mojave Desert, where the piece will remain on display at least through 2018.Desktop Version
A gentle wind fills this sail
A gentle wind fills this sail
To mark International Day of Peace, we invite you to look closely at the colorful sail in today"s homepage photo. It"s a composite of 120 small panels painted by children from different ethnic and social backgrounds—each panel offers a message of hope for a better world. The Ship of Tolerance is part of an international outreach program created by the Kabakov Foundation that aims "to promote art as a medium for communication and cooperation between diverse cultures while nurturing the growth and development of young artists in all disciplines." Children are taught the importance of understanding others and making friends with those outside their own cultural experiences. You"re looking at an installation that was moored in Lake Zug, Switzerland.Desktop Version
A misty morning in Brazil
A misty morning in Brazil
The Amazon rainforest is big. Almost unimaginably big. To begin to grasp its immensity, consider these numbers: The Amazon rainforest covers about 2% of the world"s surface area, nearly 2.1 million square miles across South America, mostly (nearly 60%) in the country you see here, Brazil. It"s an area that accounts for over half the Earth"s remaining rainforests. The breadth of biodiversity is incomparable—nearly 16,000 different tree species, 40,000 species of other plants, 2.5 million insect species, and over 2,000 different types of birds and mammals. Incredibly, perhaps a tenth of the planet"s known species call the Amazon home, many of which have not even been identified.Desktop Version
Hello, harbinger of spring
Hello, harbinger of spring
Welcome back, little mountain bluebird. Although this bright fellow may be enduring the last of this year"s snow in Yellowstone National Park, his presence means winter will soon be ending. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and a welcome sign of spring in many cultures. Soon other migratory birds will arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—an 18-million-acre tract that includes Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. It"s the world"s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. What exactly does that mean? Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, all the animal species that were first documented by European explorers can still be found here.Desktop Version
Giants of the avian world
Giants of the avian world
The three shaggy-coiffed birds you see here are Dalmatian pelicans, posing on chilly Lake Kerkini in Greece. These waterfowl are among the largest freshwater bird species in the world, with wingspans stretching as wide as 11 feet. Dalmatian pelicans generally breed during the first four months of the year, building their nests on or near the ground, and sometimes upon vegetation floating in water. While breeding, they form monogamous pairs, though they generally don"t pair up for life.Desktop Version
The story of a rediscovered redwood
The story of a rediscovered redwood
Like most things in nature, the trees featured on today’s homepage are worth a closer look. This species, known as the dawn redwood, was thought for hundreds of years to be extinct. Unlike other redwood trees (picture the towering evergreen giants that grow on California’s coast), this redwood is deciduous; in the fall its needles turn a brilliant orange, and then fall to the ground. Fossils of the species are common in the Northern Hemisphere, but there was no known evidence that it existed after the Miocene Epoch, which ended more than 5 million years ago. The tree was thought to have been long extinct until 1944, when a giant dawn redwood was discovered in south central China. More were found in surrounding lowlands, and today the tree is a popular ornamental in many parts of the world. The trees in our image, from Zhongshan, China, are standing in a shallow lake, which reflects the blue sky above.Desktop Version
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
We’re in London’s West End for Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the UK. It’s said the event takes its name from the historic practice of employers giving their servants and tradespeople boxes of gifts on the day after Christmas (since the servants had to work on Christmas Day). These days, the holiday shopping deals rival those on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, particularly in the UK, Australia, and Canada, but increasingly in other countries as well. Are you celebrating Boxing Day?Desktop Version
Evidence of human habitation
Evidence of human habitation
Our photo today has been digitally altered by NASA’s Earth Observatory team to remove natural light. Doing so reveals just how much artificial light human settlements generate. We share this image to draw attention to the observance of World Population Day today. The event was inspired by the Day of Five Billion on July 11, 1987, when the United Nations estimates our global population reached that milestone. Each year, World Population Day encourages us to think about how our growing numbers might affect our future, and the future of the planet we live on.Desktop Version
It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
It s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
With Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month kicking off today, we"re visiting the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco"s Golden Gate Park. Originally designed as a temporary exhibit in the 1894 World"s Fair, the gardens became a permanent fixture in the park, overseen by landscape designer Makoto Hagiwara.Desktop Version