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Sep 17, 2021Eye of the cave

Many sea caves and rock formations line the alluring Algarve coast in the south of Portugal, and today we"re shedding light on Benagil Cave—one of the region"s most spectacular and famous natural landmarks. Just east of the small fishing village of Benagil, the cave was formed about 20 million years ago from the pounding waves that sweep in from the Atlantic. Rainfall has caused the softer segments of limestone to erode, creating a giant hole in the cave"s roof, which is what we"re looking down through in our photo.Desktop Version

Oct 28, 2021Necropolis of Dargavs

Be glad we"re merely paying a virtual visit to this "City of the Dead" outside Dargavs, Russia. Local folklore warns that if you set foot here, you won"t escape with your life. We"re not sure the dead pose such a mortal danger, but what"s certain is that this is a dead-quiet village. These vaulted-roof huts are not homes—they"re crypts.Desktop Version

Jul 14, 2018Does this shark have an Irish accent?

Our Shark Awareness Day celebrity is a blue shark swimming in the cold waters off Cork, Ireland. The inspiration for its name comes from the blue shark’s back color, not its mood. It’s currently listed as ‘near threatened’—a status all too common for sharks today. Why celebrate an apex predator that most humans associate with horror movies? Because without sharks acting as population control on other marine life, the world’s oceans would be a very different place. Blue sharks eat a lot of squid and fish, and like land predators, help to keep their prey from overpopulation. Mother Nature keeps us in a delicate balance, so it’s important that we don’t accidentally remove a vital member of that system… even if that creature seems scary to most of us.Desktop Version

Jul 5, 2019Peel Castle on St. Patrick’s Isle with the Isle of Man in the background

The Isle of Man has a long and complicated history of invasions, conquests, and systems of government. Pictured on today’s homepage are the ruins of the cathedral on the grounds of Peel Castle, on St. Patrick’s Isle (which is connected by a causeway to the rest of the island). Vikings built the original wooden fortification during the 11th century on a location that had older Celtic monastic structures made of stone, which were incorporated into the castle. Over the next eight centuries, the various Norse, Scottish, and English rulers of the area added battlements, towers, and the cathedral to the grounds.Desktop Version

Jul 18, 2020The moth wonderful time of the year

You"re forgiven if this is the first you"re hearing of National Moth Week, even though it"s been going strong for eight years as a global call to learn about and observe the fuzzy little insects. All too often dismissed as pesky, drab counterparts to our brightly fluttering friends the butterflies, moths seem to hog every light but the spotlight. But they don"t need flashy marketing to win the numbers game: With an estimated 160,000 moth species (though some estimates go up to half a million), they vastly outnumber their swaggering butterfly cousins in the Lepidoptera order.Desktop Version

Jun 6, 2019Engineering an artificial harbor in Normandy

For the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the end of WWII, we’re focusing on the remains of a Mulberry harbour—one of the most impressive military engineering feats of the war. Knowing that the ability to land huge numbers of men, vehicles, and supplies would be crucial to the Allies’ success in the invasion of Normandy, Winston Churchill challenged his forces to come up with artificial harbors that could be towed into place and operational within days of the initial landings.Desktop Version

Mar 23, 2018Happy World Meteorological Day

On this World Meteorological Day, celebrated each year on March 23, we climb far above the Earth for a view of the southern Peruvian coast courtesy of the Landsat 8 satellite. Below the clouds, at the bottom of those canyons, are the Yauca and Acarí Rivers, which drain into the Pacific. As any good meteorologist taking a break from today’s celebrations will tell you, warm air from the equator forms a layer over the cool coastal air here, pushing the clouds into the deep river canyons and covering the Pacific Ocean shore.Desktop Version

Jul 23, 2021Let the games (finally) begin!

Shining like an incandescent Olympic torch, the Tokyo Tower is our cue to finally say, "Let the games begin!" Along with so much else, the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed last year (as you probably heard). Despite the long delay, the Summer Olympic Games begin in Tokyo today, almost exactly one year after the games were originally due to start. But these Olympics will look a little different from past games. A recent spike in coronavirus cases has led to a state of emergency in Tokyo, so Olympic organizers have barred spectators from most events. Nevertheless, officials are determined that the Tokyo Olympics will be a demonstration of fortitude in the face of adversity.Desktop Version

Jul 6, 2019Racers pushing past sunflowers in the 2018 Tour de France

Cyclists have been competing in this prestigious, multi-stage race since 1903. The route is changed every year but always includes a mix of terrains and elevations, mostly in France. Originally conceived as a promotion for a newspaper, the Tour is now a worldwide sporting event that draws billions of viewers each year, making it more popular than the Super Bowl. Here, competitors are biking alongside the summertime sunflowers of southern France that are in full bloom during the race. This scenic image is a foil to the grueling duration of the race, which covers more than 2,000 miles over a 23-day span. Although athletes are organized into teams, the individual who completes the strenuous course in the overall shortest amount of time wins and gets a cash prize often shared with teammates. This year’s race starts in Belgium and will pedal past the iconic sunflowers around stage 16 before coming to a stop in Paris.Desktop Version

May 30, 2023Playa 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

Sep 30, 2018Aw shucks, it’s oyster season in Galway

When you think of Ireland, do you think of oysters? The proud oyster farmers here in Galway Bay think you should. This weekend, fans of the bivalve have poured into the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival, an event that claims to be the oldest oyster festival in the world--and the most recognized Irish festival outside of St. Patrick’s Day. Visit Galway yourself and you can sample the native oysters, which have been harvested here for centuries, and also try the Pacific varieties that were brought in during the 1970s. Fans of native Galway oysters tout their meaty texture and subtle flavor. They pair well with Guinness, we presume.Desktop Version

Oct 6, 2019Land ho in New Zealand 250 years ago

On October 6, 1769—250 years ago today—Captain James Cook reached New Zealand on his first voyage to the Pacific. He would eventually map the entire New Zealand coastline, including the area here at Marlborough Sounds, a network of ancient sunken river valleys on New Zealand"s South Island. The main purpose of Cook"s voyage to the Pacific was to sail to Tahiti and observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. Only after completing this task did Cook unseal the rest of his orders and learn he was to search the South Pacific for signs of a fabled great southern continent, Terra Australis Incognito. European Renaissance geographers believed this hypothetical southern landmass must exist in order to counterbalance the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.Desktop Version

Oct 7, 2019From the mind of Frank Gehry

Today"s image features the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and his firm, Gehry Partners, in 2005. The building consists of three different elements: a medical building with spaces for patient care and research; the Life Activity Center, a for-hire event space which helps fund the center"s research; and a breezeway connecting the two spaces. Some have likened these elements to the hemispheres of the brain itself, with the medical building representing rational thinking and the event space (seen here) giving form to creative thinking.Desktop Version

Jan 19, 2022Kluane National Park

What looks here like an ice road for 50-foot-tall truckers is really Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada"s Kluane National Park. This corner of the Yukon is home to the largest ice field on Earth outside of the poles, with the slow, steady flow of more than 2,000 glaciers continually carving these vast canyons amid the peaks.Desktop Version

Apr 14, 2021Nothing plain about it

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a unique attraction in California—not just because of its breathtaking, colorful views, but also due to its quiet, isolated feel. Just a few hours north of Los Angeles, it covers almost 250,000 acres along the base of the Temblor Mountains, giving visitors a chance to escape the crowds and experience nature. In spring, wildflowers cover the hills and valley floor, creating the amazing scene pictured here. The area also features other diverse plant species, including several listed as threatened or endangered. Wildlife includes antelope and elk, as well as rare species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and the giant kangaroo rat.Desktop Version

Sep 6, 2018Feeling chic on Fashion Week

This northern rockhopper penguin might just be our spirit animal–especially for New York Fashion Week. The feisty bird is clearly feeling confident: Just look at that windswept hair! But while fashion models walk the runways in Manhattan this week, this rockhopper will be chilling in the South Atlantic. The rocky terrain on Gough Island, where northern rockhopper penguins live, prevents them from sliding on their bellies–a typical form of land-based penguin transportation. They tend to hop around on the uneven turf of Gough, hence their name.Desktop Version

Aug 18, 2021Pearl of the Adriatic

Jutting out into the sparkling Adriatic Sea, the medieval city of Dubrovnik in southern Croatia displays its centuries-old charm. Here at the heart of the city is the Old Town, paved with limestone and surrounded by medieval walls that encircle its historic core. Visitors can walk along the walls, which stretch over 6,000 feet and were built to defend Dubrovnik from pirates and other unwelcome guests during the Middle Ages. Dotted by fortifications, bastions, and towers, the walls offer breathtaking views of the brilliant blue waters of the Adriatic on one side, and the Old Town"s distinctive terra-cotta roofs on the other.Desktop Version

May 6, 2021Why you should thank a nurse today

Artist Tristan Eaton created this mural, "Now & Forever," as part of a big thank you to nurses and other medical personnel during National Nurses Week last year in New York City. At the time, the city was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and an army of nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff delivered critical care under dire conditions. Now a year later, nurses continue their vital work of providing care for the residents of New York and everywhere else. National Nurses Week is observed annually from May 6-12 to honor the crucial role that nurses play in health care—as if we needed any reminder of that after the year we"ve had. Still, we invite everyone to thank a nurse this week for their skill, professionalism, grit, and warmth. Our debt to them is deep.Desktop Version

Dec 6, 2021Computer Science EDU Week

In the decidedly pre-digital 19th century, English polymath Charles Babbage developed his design for an Analytical Engine, a machine that incorporates many of the functional ideas of modern computers. The diagram in our photo today shows the plans for the inner workings of Babbage"s mechanical computer. Construction was difficult and expensive, given the precision required for the crafted metal parts, so Babbage tinkered on his own but died before he saw his vision realized. Engineers have since built working models of Babbage"s machine.Desktop Version

Dec 31, 2021New Year s Eve

The Land of Fire and Ice earns its nickname from the unique landscape of volcanoes and glaciers here, but Iceland"s white-hot celebrations in the dead of the Nordic midwinter also evoke the phrase. The tradition of New Year"s Eve bonfires in Iceland is said to date from the 18th century, when a group of schoolboys heralded the new year by scrounging up and torching a huge pile of wood scraps. The unruly teenagers" celebration sparked the general public"s interest, and annual fires—like this one in Reykjavik—became an internationally noted tradition for Icelanders. Huddle up to the fire and raise a toasty-warm toast to the new year!Desktop Version

Dec 1, 2022Antarctica Day

The most isolated continent in the world is hands down the polar desert that is Antarctica, the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. Inhospitable as it sounds, Antarctica, which lies almost completely below the Antarctic Circle, is also a place of stunning beauty as evidenced by this image of Paradise Harbour, aka Paradise Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is also extraordinarily vulnerable to the effects of climate change, worth remembering today on Antarctica Day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty. The international agreement protects Antarctica as a scientific preserve.Desktop Version

Sep 19, 2021Arrr! Can you talk like a pirate?

Ahoy matey! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day so we present to you a fortress that was really used to defend against pirates. Arrr! This is Le Castella, a magnificent fortification on the Calabrian coast of Italy. For centuries it served as a defense against warring nations and rampaging pirates from the Ottoman Empire.Desktop Version

May 4, 2021Happy Star Wars Day!

Sprinting over the sands, this grey seal reminds us of Luke Skywalker"s zippy landspeeder vehicle from the first "Star Wars" flick. But unlike Luke, it"s not bound for Tosche Station to pick up some power converters—just to the sea for a fishy snack.Desktop Version

Oct 27, 2020A bridge of Madison County

Framed here for the season by fall foliage, the Cambron Covered Bridge is located along a nature trail in Madison County, *Alabama*—not Iowa, which is the setting of the bestselling romance novel "The Bridges of Madison County." It"s believed there were once about 14,000 covered bridges in the US, but fewer than 900 or so remain today, a quarter of which can be found in Pennsylvania. But Alabama has covered-bridge bragging rights, too. The state has 11 historic covered bridges. Built in 1974, the Cambron Covered Bridge doesn"t make the official "historic" list, but it does offer hikers a peaceful passageway with great views of Sky Lake.Desktop Version

Feb 16, 2021Mardi Gras flower power

While the purple flowers and green ironwork may not look overly festive to the untrained eye, residents of New Orleans will no doubt spot the significance of both, especially today, on Mardi Gras, the final day of Carnival. Purple and green are two of the three official colors of Mardi Gras, together with gold, and in a normal year the streets would be full of revelers decked out in all three colors as they dance and parade down the streets of the city. Due to COVID-19, there won"t be any parades this year, but the colors will still be on full display in the city"s famous French Quarter and elsewhere, including as colorful icing atop king cakes, a beloved treat that"s associated with the Carnival season.Desktop Version

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