Phone Wallpaper - Bing Wallpaper Gallery

Jun 8, 2019Diving into World Oceans Day

Humans have been trying to construct artificial coral reefs since at least the 1950s, with only marginal success. But in 1979, German scientist and inventor Wolf Hilbertz created ‘Biorock,’ also known as ‘Seacrete.’ Hilbertz found that by directing a low-voltage charge to a metal frame submerged in seawater, calcium and other minerals in the water would build up on the frame. This mineral coating is so similar to the mineral composition of natural reef substrate that it creates a good habitat for the growth of corals. After the minerals have begun to coat the surface, divers transplant coral fragments from other reefs, attaching them to the structure’s frame. These coral pieces begin to bond to the accreted mineral substrate and start to grow, typically faster than in natural environments. Eventually the reef looks and functions like a natural reef ecosystem rather than an artificial one.Desktop Version

Jul 17, 2019Nomads of the Gobi

The Gobi Desert stretches across 500,000 square miles, covering parts of northern China and southern Mongolia. Due to the Gobi’s high elevation and high latitude, it’s a cold desert. And while we tend to think of deserts as endless sand dunes, most of the Gobi’s topography is exposed rock.Desktop Version

Aug 6, 2019Storks ready for takeoff

It’s migration season for white storks, shown here tending to a nest at Los Barruecos Natural Monument in central Spain. This destination is known for large, granite boulders intermixed with sculptures created by local artists—and it’s a favorite stork nesting spot. When the storks arrive here in springtime for their nesting season, the area can be filled with the sound of the storks’ loud bill-clattering, a tap-tap-tapping that can be heard from great distances. In August and September, white storks depart their nests for a 25-day trip south to their African wintering grounds, where they gather in large flocks. The species returns to Europe again nine months later—hence its unique role in folklore, giving parents a low-stress way to answer the question ‘where do babies come from?’Desktop Version

Nov 9, 2021Dalyan, Turkey

Among the remains of the ancient Anatolian port city of Kaunos are these carvings in the sheer rock walls above the Dalyan Çayı River. Overlooking the modern-day city of Dalyan, Turkey, what appear to be ornate cliff dwellings are really the weathered facades of tombs for the elite of a once-forgotten society.Desktop Version

May 8, 2019’Chess on ice’

Today our photo comes from Naseby, on New Zealand’s South Island. Winter in New Zealand begins on June 1—in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are inverted from our own. Soon, the lakes in Naseby will freeze over, creating great conditions for outdoor curling, or what competitors call ‘chess on ice.’ And when there’s a multi-game tournament going on, that’s a ‘bonspiel’ in curling lingo. This year marks the first ever Curling World Cup—with the fourth leg of the months-long event beginning today in Beijing, China. This ultimate bonspiel unites teams from around the globe, and on May 12, 2019, we’ll know which nation swept the competition. (Curling joke!)Desktop Version

Aug 21, 2021Ambassadors of the airwaves

Today we"re visiting the Petit Minou Lighthouse on the coast of northwest France to mark the relationship between lighthouses and the 20th-century technology of amateur radio, commonly known as "ham" radio. The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) is an event set up every August by a group of amateur radio operators from nearly 100 countries. Activities for this ILLW weekend are organized online with individual events held at various lighthouses around the world, where ham radio operators gather to broadcast and engage with fellow enthusiasts. The aim of these gatherings is to not only foster goodwill for ham radio around the world, but also to promote awareness of lighthouse preservation and restoration, and to honor the legacy these solitary structures have had on our collective maritime heritage.Desktop Version

Dec 29, 2019Helloooooo, Innsbruck

Today we"re featuring the Four Hills Tournament, a set of four ski jump events that starts today. This image shows a jumper in the 2017/2018 competition. The annual tourney, which wraps up in early January, starts in the German towns of Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and then moves to Austria, with events in Innsbruck, like the qualification run in today"s image, and Bischofshofen.Desktop Version

Jan 12, 2023Rumelihisarı in Istanbul, Türkiye

Though Türkiye usually lives up to expectations as a warm Mediterranean country, snow occasionally falls here. This winter dusting of Istanbul, Türkiye"s largest city, brings into sharper focus the lines of Rumelihisarı in the center of our image. The structure, also known as Rumeli Fortress, was built in the 15th century by an Ottoman sultan as a way to choke naval traffic through the narrow Bosporus Strait. The Bosporus connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, separating Istanbul into what are often referred to as its "European side" and "Asian side." Today, the fortress isn"t used to fire upon ships but serves as a museum and concert venue. While the place has changed over the centuries, the killer view hasn"t.Desktop Version

Oct 14, 2019Canadian Thanksgiving

We"re looking at a fall sunrise in Alberta, Canada, in honor (or should we say "honour") of Canadian Thanksgiving. The holiday is officially celebrated on the second Monday in October, though many families gather the previous day. The first known Thanksgiving celebration in Canada was organized by English explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578 when he reached Newfoundland. Years later, American loyalists who were faithful to England during the Revolutionary War moved to Canada and brought traditions with them, such as eating turkey on Thanksgiving. As in the US, a Canadian Thanksgiving table is likely to have a horn-shaped cornucopia filled with festive-looking fruits and grains. The menu often includes turkey, but also regional dishes like salmon and Nanaimo bars—a layered chocolate dessert.Desktop Version

Aug 26, 2020Spotted Lake emerges

This might look like the surface of some distant planet, but Spotted Lake is much closer to home. Just north of the US border in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, the lake"s strange coloration is due to its high concentrations of mineral deposits. It"s a protected cultural site of the Syilx/Okanagan Nation for its healing properties. Spotted Lake is an endorheic lake, which is a basin where water collects but has no river or sea to drain into. The water level rises with rainfall during autumn and winter, but when the days grow hotter and drier in the summertime, the water evaporates and the surface of the lake lowers. It"s during these hot, dry summers in the Okanagan when Spotted Lake earns its name—large "spots" in varying hues of blue, green, or yellow become more prominent as the water level drops. The area"s closed to the public, but you can get a decent view from the highway. Binoculars recommended.Desktop Version

Jul 25, 2023Laguna de Torrevieja, Spain

When we encounter bodies of water in nature, we might expect hues of blue, from the pale cyan shade of lagoons to the navy blue of deep lakes. But pink water—where on Earth could that be found? At (deep breath) El Parque Natural de Las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja in Alicante, Spain. Here, there are two lakes: one green and one pink, and it is the latter that you see on our homepage. The highly saline water, dotted with clusters of salt crystals, is the perfect environment for microscopic algae, which are rich in carotenes. This results in the rosy tinge that protects the algae from solar radiation. And the pink is just getting started, as the algae are eaten by tiny crustaceans, which turn pink and are then eaten by flamingos, which acquire the rosy hue as well.Desktop Version

Jul 21, 2021An octagonal architectural treasure

Built in the 1240s by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in southeast Italy, Castel del Monte (Castle of the Mount) features an unusual octagonal design. Eight stone walls stretch between eight octagonal towers and enclose an octagonal courtyard. Each of the two floors also has eight trapezoidal rooms. Acclaimed and protected as a World Heritage Site in 1996, the castle symbolically reflects a harmonious integration of classical Roman, Arabic, and medieval architecture and design—and to some, its octagonal symmetry suggests a connection between heaven and earth.Desktop Version

Mar 27, 2022World Theatre Day

What better place to celebrate World Theatre Day than the ancient theater of Taormina, Sicily, an amphitheater built in the Hellenistic style of the Greeks in the third century BCE. The venue was later expanded by the Romans and is one of the signature sights in Taormina. And if you look in the upper-right corner of the photo, that"s Mount Etna giving a performance of its own, spewing a little ash and smoke.Desktop Version

Jun 15, 2021Are you older than this lake?

If you were born before summer 1991, the answer is yes. Sorry if you already felt a bit long in the tooth, but it"s true: Until 30 years ago, Lake Pinatubo was just a rumble in Mount Pinatubo"s magma-filled belly. It was a calamitous eruption on June 15, 1991—one of the 20th century"s most powerful—that blew off Pinatubo"s original summit and formed a vast crater, which gradually filled with water as greenery reclaimed the summit.Desktop Version

Mar 27, 2021Blink and you ll miss it

The mountain hare is doubly hard to catch sight of, because along with its tremendous speed, it"s terrifically well camouflaged. These two traits help the iconic species survive in the rugged mountains and uplands of northern Europe and Asia—this hare is dashing across a heath in the Scottish Highlands. When they have to, these speedy leporids can dart away as fast as 50 mph, at least for short distances, allowing them to outrun predators and disappear safely into the heather. But a would-be predator may not even spy them to begin with—mountain hares change coats, or molt, several times a year, their fur going from brown and gray in summer, to white-gray in winter, helping them to blend into their surroundings whatever the season.Desktop Version

Aug 28, 2021Relationship status: It s complicated

By posing for us, are these red-billed oxpeckers imposing on the impala? Well, science hasn"t quite decided on this one. The relationship between parasite-eating birds and hoofed mammals was once considered a textbook example of mutualism, with oxpeckers cleaning up the ticks and fleas that bug the bigger beasts. Which is what we"d like to think is going on here.Desktop Version

Sep 23, 2021Last stop before leaving the solar system

Official telescopic confirmation of Neptune"s presence in our solar system came on September 23, 1846, and it was a big deal partly because Neptune is the only planet in our solar system not visible with the naked eye. Credit for this discovery inspired a dust-up in the international astronomy community, as scientists from both Britain and France claimed they had been the first to predict the existence and position of the eighth and most-distant planet in our solar system before it was seen through a telescope. Eventually peace was brokered, and credit is now shared between the two factions.Desktop Version

Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington

Imagine spending the day hiking amid these moss-covered trees instead of frantically checking items off your holiday shopping list. Welcome to Green Friday, the environmental alternative to Black Friday. The aim is to encourage people to make ethical shopping choices—or to refrain from shopping altogether and embrace nature instead.Desktop Version

May 25, 2023Saksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark

Nestled in a picturesque valley next to a lagoon flanked by mountains, Saksun is a small, remote village famous for its stunning vistas. It is situated on the coast of Streymoy in the remote Faroe Islands, which sit about halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic. Home to these iconic houses with turf roofs and a tiny population—estimates vary between 8 and 30—it is said that there are more waterfalls in Saksun, than houses.Desktop Version

Jul 18, 2023Great hornbill, Thailand

The great hornbill is a remarkable bird found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Despite weighing as much as 9 pounds and growing up to 4 feet long, it is an agile flyer capable of maneuvering through dense forests. Alongside its striking black and yellow plumage, the great hornbill has a unique helmet-like casque on its bill, which amplifies its calls. The bird primarily feeds on fruit but also eats small mammals, reptiles, and insects. While incubating her eggs, the female great hornbill seals herself inside a tree cavity, leaving a small opening through which the male inserts food. This magnificent bird holds cultural and spiritual significance in many Southeast Asian cultures as a sacred animal and the subject of festivals.Desktop Version

Jul 13, 2019Batten down the hatches

The athletes on these boats are jockeying for position at the start of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island (pronounced ‘Mack-i-naw’). The ‘Mac,’ at 333 miles long, is the world’s oldest and longest annual freshwater boat race. It’s an amateur event, but make no mistake, these sailors know their stuff. Many go on to race in the America’s Cup. This year’s race is held this weekend. The boats set sail—smallest to largest—just off Chicago’s Navy Pier, passing by the city skyline as we see in our image. When crews pass under the span of the mighty Mackinac Bridge—connecting the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula—Lake Michigan becomes Lake Huron, and the island appears.Desktop Version

Sep 7, 2021Whale hello there!

It"s whale-watching season here off the coast of Massachusetts and these humpback whales and their seagull friends are in a feeding frenzy. Here"s a little tip if you ever find yourself seeking out humpbacks: Look for birds. Where there are swarms of dive-bombing birds, there will be fish, and where there are fish, there may be humpback whales.Desktop Version

Feb 18, 2022Great Backyard Bird Count

This colorful foursome resting on a tree limb during a winter in France is a group of great tits, one of the most common bird species seen across most of Europe and Asia and in parts of North Africa. Belonging to the same family as North American chickadees, great tits are beloved for their colorful plumage and acrobatic antics while feeding in backyards and in gardens, which makes them an ideal mascot for the Great Backyard Bird Count.Desktop Version

Jul 10, 2019Put your helmet on, we’re going for a hike

You’ll need to wear a safety helmet before stepping onto the cliff-hanging path that passes above the Gorge of Gaitanes in Spain"s Málaga province. Look around, but don’t forget to look down from the glass-floor observation platform. This is your opportunity to fully appreciate the 325-foot drop below and consider what life must be like as a mountain goat. The renovated path is far less dangerous than the original, which for many years had no guard rails. Made for workers back in 1905, the first walkway provided access between El Chorro and Gaitanejo hydroelectric power plants. After King Alfonso XIII visited in 1921, the walkway was given its nickname, El Caminito del Rey (The King’s Little Pathway). But after years of use and lack of upkeep, the nickname was updated to ‘The world’s most dangerous walkway.’Desktop Version

Mar 1, 2022Women s History Month

To celebrate the start of Women"s History Month, our homepage photo features a candid shot of members of the US Army Nurse Corps in 1944. The women are shown in between training exercises while they await deployment to the South Pacific near the end of World War II. At the time, all who served in the Army Nurse Corps were women, and the units were all segregated. And though the need for nurses was urgent, the army had set a quota for just 160 Black nurses. By the end of the war, that number had increased to nearly 500.Desktop Version

Bing wallpaper for mobile