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A triumph of light
A triumph of light
These students in Guwahati, India, are lighting oil lamps called diya, and placing them around a floor decoration called rangoli. They’re preparing for Diwali, a five-day celebration symbolizing the victory of light over darkness. It’s a Hindu festival, but Sikhs, Jains, and Newar Buddhists also observe variations of Diwali. Many homes, temples, and commercial spaces decorate with lights, especially diya. The rangoli decoration is thought to bring good luck, and is created by hand using colored rice, flours, sand, or sometimes flower petals. Diwali lasts until November 11, so there’s still time to embrace the light.Desktop Version
Reflections on Memorial Day
Reflections on Memorial Day
For Memorial Day, we"re visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. More than 58,000 names of men and women who served and died in the Vietnam War are etched on the black granite V-shaped wall. In 1981, Maya Lin was just 21 and still an undergraduate at Yale when she won a nationwide public competition to design the memorial. But when her design was unveiled, its minimalist and nontraditional approach sparked controversy. Many considered it bleak and thought the black granite symbolized defeat rather than honor. To address these criticisms, and over Lin"s objections, a bronze statue of three servicemen was added to the plan. Later another statue, the Vietnam Women"s Memorial, was erected south of the wall. Today the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is among the most popular and revered landmarks in DC, drawing over 4.5 million visitors a year.Desktop Version
Rocks on the move
Rocks on the move
No, that stone in today"s homepage image didn"t get there by itself. Or did it? Not only is Death Valley one of the hottest places on Earth, it also boasts a mysterious geologic phenomenon—rocks that drift across the exceptionally flat desert floor, seemingly under their own power. The rocks here at Death Valley"s Racetrack Playa are known as "sailing stones" and they can vary in size from a few ounces to hundreds of pounds. As seen in our image, the stones leave long trails behind them as they move across the scenic dry lakebed.Desktop Version
A perfect day to fly your flag
A perfect day to fly your flag
We"re at Chimney Rock State Park, about 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina, for Flag Day. The 6,807-acre park gets its name from the 315-foot spire that offers expansive views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. If you"re wondering how this sizable flag made it up to the summit, we don"t know the answer to that. But there is an elevator inside the mountain that can zip you to the top in 32 seconds. The other option is to hike up the 499 steps to the viewpoint.Desktop Version
Riding the bore tide at Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska
Riding the bore tide at Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska
When the moon tugs at the tides here in Cook Inlet, Alaska, a gravitational event known as a bore tide occurs, pushing waves up against the current and creating a watery playground for stand-up paddleboarders. The bore tide here in Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage, is one of the biggest in the world, sometimes creating waves 10 feet tall. The biggest waves occur after an extremely low tide, as that’s when the largest amount of seawater comes rushing back into the narrow bay. Surf’s up, Alaskans!Desktop Version
Steyr River, Austria
Steyr River, Austria
These whitewater rapids are found in Upper Austria, where the Steyr River crashes down from the barren Totes Gebirge (the Dead Mountains) through this verdant landscape. When it comes to the ancient town of Steyr, at the foot of the Alps, it will meet the Enns River, which flows into the Danube.Desktop Version
Here s looking Atchafalaya
Here s looking Atchafalaya
Encompassing 14 Louisiana parishes and over 1.4 million acres, the Atchafalaya Basin is one of the United States" 55 National Heritage Areas, the one they call America"s Foreign Country. It"s the nation"s largest river swamp and wetland—the bayous, marshes, and backwater lakes here nurture one of the most diverse ecological and cultural landscapes in North America.Desktop Version
Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
The summer swaths of green in this field have transformed by wintertime to a harvest-ready red—but it"s not a harvest you can eat. Just what"s being grown here?Desktop Version
In Texas, even the riverbend is big
In Texas, even the riverbend is big
We"re celebrating the 77th birthday of Big Bend National Park, the place the National Park Service calls "one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States." To get here, you have to be committed. This rugged terrain, which covers almost a million acres, is one of the most remote spots in the country—it"s hours from the nearest towns or the closest airport, making it one of the least-visited national parks in the country. Those who do make the effort to get to Big Bend are rewarded with an undeveloped natural beauty, and silence, two things that seem to be in short supply these days.Desktop Version
1.1 billion opportunities for a better world
1.1 billion opportunities for a better world
Today’s homepage recognizes the International Day of the Girl, a UN-sponsored event to raise awareness about the 1.1 billion girls in the world, the unique challenges they face, and what the future could promise if they’re empowered to overcome those challenges. That future is a bright one. Research from UN Women indicates that when girls are provided an education, the rate of child marriage is reduced, as well as rates of disease. When women work, economies grow. And when the share of household income controlled by women increases, children benefit. It’s all the more reason to invest in education and equality for women and girls around the world.Desktop Version
Let’s go mothing
Let’s go mothing
In the Lepidoptera order of the animal kingdom, it’s butterflies who get all the glory. But we’d argue it’s their relatives, moths, that have the better story. With more than 160,000 species of moths around the world, moths outnumber butterfly species roughly 10 to 1. While most are nocturnal, the hummingbird hawk-moth on our homepage today breaks the mold. Found throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe, it’s shown here in the daylight of southern Sardinia, sipping nectar with its straw-like appendage known as a proboscis. Like a hummingbird, the moth makes a soft buzzing sound as it hovers over the flowers whose nectar it feeds on exclusively.Desktop Version
The borrowed days are here
The borrowed days are here
This photo of a European crested tit weathering a late-winter storm in Scotland may sum up the way some of us living in the Northern Hemisphere feel about the month of March. While the calendar tells us spring has arrived, the weather often seems to disagree. It"s the blustery, unpredictable elements of this time of year that inspired an old Western European folktale that the month of March "borrowed" three days from April so that it could indulge in a few final winter-like days. These "borrowed days" are the last three days of the month. Perhaps take comfort that it"s only three days. In some parts of Ireland, March borrowed nine days. That"s too many days.Desktop Version
Happy World Photography Day!
Happy World Photography Day!
What"s the best thing to do when you come face-to-face with a giant manta ray? Take a photo of course, and then share your creation with the rest of the world, especially on World Photography Day, celebrated each August 19. As this photographer can attest, a lot of work goes into taking a great photo. There"s more to it than having mastery of your equipment and a willingness to go on the hunt for the perfect shot. You also must be ready for a magic moment like this one, so when that amazing shot does present itself, you"re ready to capture it.Desktop Version
Celebrating the Acadians
Celebrating the Acadians
In honor of Canada"s National Acadian Day, we"re on the shores of New Brunswick as the ocean recedes to reveal the Bay of Fundy"s massive intertidal zone. The tide is a big deal at the bay—more than five times bigger than in most places. Typical tides around the world have a range of 3 to 6 feet, but these waters drop as far as 50 feet from high to low tide.Desktop Version
Winter Olympics in Beijing
Winter Olympics in Beijing
Winter is coming to Beijing. The Winter Olympics that is, as the Chinese capital hosts the 24th edition of the sporting extravaganza. Over the next 17 days, close to 3,000 athletes will compete in 109 events across 15 disciplines in seven sports. The venues are spread over three zones: central Beijing, the Yanqing District of northwestern Beijing, and Zhangjiakou, a city in neighboring Hebei province. Artificial snow will be used for outdoor competitions, including here at the illuminated Big Air Shougang, the only snow event venue in downtown Beijing.Desktop Version
Black History Month
Black History Month
To mark the beginning of Black History Month, we"re paying tribute to one of the few all-Black combat regiments in World War I, true heroes who were instrumental in achieving the Allied victory. The storied 369th Infantry Regiment, famously known as the Harlem Hellfighters, served in frontline trenches for 191 days—longer than any other American unit in the war—and suffered 1,500 casualties, the most losses of any American regiment. They fought under the 16th Division of the French army, because many white Americans refused to go into combat alongside Black soldiers.Desktop Version
El Valle de la Luna, Chile
El Valle de la Luna, Chile
El Valle de la Luna (the Valley of the Moon) is located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The Achaches Lookout, seen here, offers breathtaking views of volcanoes in the distance. In 1982, El Valle de la Luna was declared a nature sanctuary for its stunning, untouched habitat and its peculiar lunar-like terrain.Desktop Version
Let s celebrate cephalopods
Let s celebrate cephalopods
For World Octopus Day, we"re lighting up your screen with a shot of a nocturnal octopus from the genus Callistoctopus in its larval stage. It was photographed on a night dive near the Big Island of Hawaii. You may not consider octopuses cute and cuddly, but they have charisma to burn. The highly intelligent species has been observed solving puzzles, unscrewing lids, and even using tools. One study recorded octopuses collecting discarded coconut shells and carrying them back to their dens to use as shelter. In another incident that made headlines, an octopus named Otto taunted staff at his aquarium by repeatedly crawling out of his tank to shoot water at the overhead lights, causing them to short-circuit. Octopuses aren"t all brains—they"ve got heart as well (three, in fact!). The more we learn about this species, the more impressed we are. Can"t every day be World Octopus Day?Desktop Version
Great cormorants
Great cormorants
Great cormorants are among the great anglers of the avian world. Found in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America, they"re expert at diving under the water"s surface to catch bottom-dwelling fish.Desktop Version
Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Both natural wonders and historic landmarks, the "fairy chimneys" of Göreme may suggest the fantastical dwellings of an alien species, or an illustration from a Dr. Seuss book. These and similar rock formations are known by many names—hoodoos, tent rocks, earth pyramids, as well as fairy chimneys—and are typically found in dry, hot areas. Here in Cappadocia, in south-central Turkey, they were formed when a thick layer of volcanic ash solidified over millions of years into soft, porous rock called tuff that was overlaid by hard basalt. Cracks in the basalt allowed wind and rain to gradually wash away the softer bottom layer, leaving the hard basalt to cap tall columns of the tuff. The result is these unusual, often beautiful—and perhaps puzzling—formations that spread across the Anatolian plain.Desktop Version
Happy Father s Day
Happy Father s Day
These bald eagles look like they"re enjoying some family time on Father"s Day. But today is extra special for them, because it"s also American Eagle Day, a celebration that commemorates the date in 1782 when the bird was added to the Great Seal of the United States, effectively becoming a national symbol. With an olive branch in its right talons and a bundle of 13 arrows in its left (representing the 13 original states in the Union), the eagle is said to represent a strong desire for peace, but readiness for conflict. You"ll recognize the Great Seal of the United States from its appearance on passports, flags, official documents, and American currency.Desktop Version
World Rivers Day
World Rivers Day
Today we"re recognizing World Rivers Day, a celebration of our planet"s waterways. The event branched off in 2005 from its source, BC Rivers Day, which has been observed by British Columbians in Canada since 1980. The annual event is now celebrated on the fourth Sunday of September by millions of people in more than 100 countries. It is a day that raises public awareness about rivers around the world and encourages their conservation.Desktop Version
Take the Stairs Day
Take the Stairs Day
It"s time to step up! Today is Take the Stairs Day, an initiative by the American Lung Association aimed at encouraging us to make small changes that can have a big impact on our well-being.Desktop Version
Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
In 1986, work began to convert an old rail yard in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from a relic to a heritage preservation site now known as Steamtown. A donated collection of train engines, some dating back to the 1800s, gave Steamtown exhibits to show off, while the fully functional rail yard provides a live demonstration of how trains work—and how rail transit greatly changed the United States.Desktop Version
Bobbio, Italy
Bobbio, Italy
Between the metropolis of Milan—the fashion and design capital of Italy—and the fabled seaport city of Genoa, you"ll find this small river town in northern Italy. People have resided here since ancient times, at least as far back as the Roman era, but the town really began to flourish when the abbey was constructed in the 7th century. For much of the Middle Ages, the Bobbio Abbey and its vast library made the town a center of religion, culture, and learning.Desktop Version