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Sep 28, 2020Explorer of the sea

This blue shark is swimming near the Azores, a Portuguese chain of islands about 850 miles west of mainland Portugal. The inspiration for the shark"s name comes from its back color, which can vary from a light blue to a darker shade. Its slender, tapered body is propelled through the water with agility and grace by a long tail fin that sweeps from side to side. Listed as "near threatened," blue sharks are found off the coast of every continent except for Antarctica, making them the most widely distributed of all sharks. Swift and powerful swimmers, blue sharks migrate long distances. It"s common for them to swim 1,200 to 1,700 miles or even farther, following the clockwise currents of the Gulf Stream in search of food, mates, and "just right" water temperatures.Desktop Version

Aug 22, 2018Summer’s in home stretch

When people talk about the ‘dog days of summer,’ they’re referring to the sultry, hot days of the season that sometimes seem to stretch on forever–just like those long legs on the star of today’s homepage. This is a maned wolf, also known as a ‘fox on stilts,’ and it’s the largest species of canid in South America. As a canid, it belongs to the same family as the domestic dog, wolf, and coyote, and we think it makes a fun spokescritter for summer’s ‘dog days.’Desktop Version

Jul 7, 2020Mercury in retrograde

Today we"re traveling to outer space to catch a glimpse of the Caloris Basin on the planet Mercury. This small planet—about the size of Earth"s moon—is riddled with craters, but none as spectacular as the Caloris Basin. One of the largest impact craters in the solar system, Caloris is about 950 miles across and ringed by mile-high mountains.Desktop Version

Sep 23, 2020A tree of many memories

As autumn takes hold in China, a blanket of fan-shaped golden leaves—like this one at Xuanwu Lake Park in Nanjing—becomes a familiar sight. And it"s been that way for longer than anyone can remember, thanks to a native tree with a lineage going back eons, the ginkgo.Desktop Version

Mar 11, 2021Welcome to the drainpipe of the Pacific

We are standing here on the craggy Oregon coast looking out to Thor"s Well with the help of a photographer"s telephoto lens. Only the most daring of visitors would get this close to the gaping sinkhole at high tide. One misstep combined with a forceful surge from the raging Pacific Ocean, and into the plunging well we"d go.Desktop Version

Oct 24, 202075 years of the United Nations

We"re looking at the New York City skyline with the UN"s headquarters in the middle for United Nations Day, marking the anniversary of the date when the UN Charter entered into force. This year is a milestone 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which replaced the League of Nations as the world"s largest and most powerful intergovernmental organization. To mark the occasion, the UN launched its UN75 global dialogue initiative in January, and discussions have taken place around the world in settings ranging from classrooms to the UN General Assembly. COVID-19 has made some of these events a logistical challenge, but it"s also highlighted the need for countries to work together to face global issues. The UN website allows anyone to participate, with tool kits for dialogue, issues briefs, and other resources.Desktop Version

Jan 12, 2021Sailing on thick ice

New York"s Hudson River, winter of 2014: Temperatures were so cold for so long that sailors were able to take their antique wooden ice yachts out for a sail on this 20-mile stretch of thick ice. It was a rare sight for the area. Global warming meant that the Hudson River hadn"t frozen thick enough for safe iceboating in years.Desktop Version

Jun 1, 2020The largest living organism on Earth

Today marks the second-ever World Reef Day, an observance created to help focus global attention on the deteriorating health of our planet"s vital reef systems, and also to help marshal efforts to help them recover. Why should we care about the health of ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef, seen in this photo? Because reefs are an easy indicator of how healthy our oceans are. And right now, reefs aren"t doing too well. What can we do? Learn about reefs—not just the dangers that put healthy reefs at risk, but why reefs are such a critical part of Earth"s greater ecosystems.Desktop Version

Mar 29, 2021Rising up from the black sand like rock gods

Any visitor to Iceland knows that driving the Ring Road rewards the traveler with incredible changing landscapes. Today, we"re taking a quick detour to visit this chiseled stretch of Iceland"s southern coast, where black sand beaches meet spiky basalt sea stacks. This is Reynisfjara Beach, widely considered the most beautiful example of Iceland"s black sand beaches. The sea stacks fronting the beach are known as Reynisdrangar and were formed when a volcano erupted, spewing flowing lava that cooled into these formations. Ask the locals how they formed, however, and you may get a different story, one involving trolls and a battle with a three-masted ship.Desktop Version

Jul 3, 2019Keep calm and drive on (slowly)

Following its winter closure due to heavy snowfall, the Transfăgărășan in Romania is now open for business. Also known as the DN7C highway, the road cuts through the Făgăraș Mountains, offering stunning views of waterfalls, glacial lakes, and lush valleys—plus steep drop-offs and hairpin turns to amp up the drama. Back in 2009, Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of the British TV show "Top Gear," called this twisty route the "best road in the world," which helped turn it into a major tourist draw. The Transfăgărășan reaches elevations just shy of 6,700 feet and has more tunnels and viaducts in its 55 miles than any other road in this mountainous country. But proceed with caution. The speed limit is a sensible 25 mph. And watch out for herds of sheep that use it as a path to greener pastures, and don"t mind blocking traffic as they amble there.Desktop Version

Sep 28, 2018Southern right whales sail home to South Africa

Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore—and their curiosity around boats—delight tourists here, and has made the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hot spot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.Desktop Version

Oct 13, 2020Where can you find a red fox?

The biggest of all fox species, the red fox lives in many different habitats around the world, including forests, grasslands, deserts, and mountains. This fox is in the Netherlands, but red foxes can be found throughout most of Europe, as well as in temperate Asia, North Africa, and North America. A male fox is called a dog, and the female a vixen. A young fox is a kit, cub, or pup. Foxes live in groups called skulks. The red fox"s tail accounts for about a third of its length, and it can serve as a blanket, as well as a flag the fox raises to communicate with other foxes.Desktop Version

Mar 4, 2021The most wonderful day of the year. Period.

Er, comma—at least it seems like that"s what we"re seeing. And just like a comma breaks up a sentence, this structure called a breakwater interrupts the Pacific Ocean, punctuating waves with a crash before they can disturb this Bali beach. Whether its resemblance to a comma (or is that an apostrophe?) was intentional or not, it"s a fine visual for today"s syntactical celebration. That"s correct: It"s Grammar Day! (Note to hardline grammarians: We know punctuation—like a comma—isn"t exactly grammar, but we"re loosening the linguistical reins a bit in the generous spirit of Grammar Day. So put that red pen down, smarty-pants.)Desktop Version

Mar 25, 2020It s Tolkien Reading Day

For Tolkien Reading Day, we"re featuring Oxford University"s Radcliffe Camera, the reading room for the Bodleian Library, which is home to the world"s largest archive of J.R.R. Tolkien"s original manuscripts and drawings. While Tolkien never worked in the Radcliffe Camera (Latin for "room"), he both studied at Oxford (graduating in 1915 with first-class honors in English language) and taught here as a professor.Desktop Version

Nov 8, 2018Manatees rebound

We’re in Florida’s Blue Spring State Park for Manatee Awareness Month. As winter approaches, Blue Spring becomes a safe harbor for manatees, aka sea cows, looking for warmer inland waters. It’s also a protected area for the manatees, where they can eat and swim without fear of injury from boats. In fact, researchers identify many of the manatees in Blue Spring by the scars they bear from accidental boat collisions and motor blade cuts. Identifying individual manatees has been crucial to tracking the population rebound of this once endangered species. A 2016 census of manatees in Florida’s springs counted 6,250 of the large, surprisingly graceful beasts.Desktop Version

Jan 24, 2021These patterns tell a story

Is it possible for an article of clothing to express the essence of an entire people? Well, not usually, but for the Indigenous Guna people of Panama, the colorful handwoven textiles seen here may be an exception. Molas, which means "clothing" in the Guna language, are traditionally displayed on both the front and back of women"s blouses. Even today, many Guna women prefer to wear them instead of modern attire. The textiles often feature abstract geometric patterns, as well as images from nature such as turtles, flowers, birds, and fish. Guna women of yesteryear were known to paint their bodies with those same geometric patterns and designs, and by the late 1800s they had begun weaving them onto cloth instead of painting themselves. Today, the production of molas is still generally done by women, who use an intricate process called reverse appliqué, where as many as seven layers of fabric are sewn together to form a panel, which is then hand-cut to create the vibrant designs.Desktop Version

Oct 27, 2018Don’t get lost in there

Look closely at today’s homepage picture and you might spot some adventurous folks searching for the way out of this elaborate corn maze in Northern California. Corn mazes—known as ‘maize mazes’ in the UK—are a popular fall-time tradition that allows for much creativity. A Massachusetts farm draws visitors to its Tom Brady tribute maze, designed to look like the Patriots quarterback throwing a football. And a farmer in Illinois built a 6.5-acre maze shaped like a vintage Indy 500 race car. We’re still holding out for a corn maze inspired by search engines. Anyone game?Desktop Version

Oct 28, 2018Do spirits haunt the Gardens of Versailles?

That’s not a ghost in our homepage picture; it’s just a statue (at least, we think it is). But it’s easy to imagine ghosts wandering the vast gardens here at the Palace of Versailles, about 12 miles outside of Paris. One ghost in particular has a reputation for showing herself. In 1901, on a sultry August afternoon, two visitors to the Gardens of Versailles claimed to have witnessed the gardens magically transform to their 18-century grandeur. Then, they said, they encountered the ghost of Marie Antoinette, whom they spotted calmly lounging and drawing in her sketchbook. The queen of course had been guillotined a century earlier. The story was later adapted as an opera, which debuted in 1991.Desktop Version

Sep 24, 2018Mooncake time

In ancient China, moon worship was tied closely to fertility and the harvest. So the full moon that happened closest to the fall equinox became the holiday now called Mid-Autumn Festival, also called Moon Festival by some. Originally a celebration of the harvest and a plea to the gods for rains to ensure a good harvest next year, the festival has become a more secular bit of autumn fun, with children and adults alike eating sweet mooncakes, lighting lanterns, and giving thanks for all they have. Really, they had us at ‘mooncake.’Desktop Version

Nov 11, 2018Poppies for Armistice Day

This is part of ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,’ an art installation created by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I. Crafted of thousands of ceramic poppies, the touring exhibit has been seen by more than 4 million people in 16 locations around the United Kingdom. One large section of the installation, ‘Wave,’ is currently at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, England, which is where our image was photographed. We’re showing it today to honor Armistice Day, the day exactly 100 years ago when the Allied Forces and Germany signed an armistice that ended the war. The US renamed the holiday Veterans Day in 1954 to honor veterans of all its wars. To the roughly 20 million veterans in the US today–thank you.Desktop Version

Jan 10, 2022Ski touring in Austria

The High Tauern mountain range above the Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is one of many regions around the world that attract brave ski-touring enthusiasts, like the three skiers crossing the ridge here. Ski touring is a sport for only the most skilled athletes since it usually involves navigating remote alpine territory and climbing with mountaineering gear, generally without removing your skis.Desktop Version

Aug 24, 2020Go with the rainbow flow

Today"s photo brings us to the banks of Caño Cristales, the "liquid rainbow" that cuts a prismatic path through the heart of Colombia. From June through November, when the clear water is low, the abundant underwater plants that cover the riverbed show off their red, yellow, green, and blue hues. The star of the show—especially in this photo—is Macarenia clavigera, a riverweed that ranges from bright red to deep crimson or purple depending on its intake of sun rays. In August and September, when the florid flora is at its peak, the river"s a coveted nature excursion: Because the ecosystem is so fragile, visits are limited to guided tours.Desktop Version

Feb 13, 2020Midwinter freeze

Abiqua Falls in Oregon is a beautiful example of a basalt column amphitheater. Over 90 percent of all volcanic rock is basalt, but only a small fraction of it forms into the hexagonal columns that you see here. When molten lava hits the atmosphere, rapid cooling causes it to contract into these characteristic columns. It"s just part of what makes Abiqua Falls so spectacular.Desktop Version

Feb 16, 2023Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California

Illuminated by the setting sun on Yosemite"s famous El Capitan is a rare natural phenomenon known as the "Firefall," which appears for just a few weeks a year. From mid to late February, the sun is at just the right angle to set Horsetail Fall aglow, but only if sufficient water is flowing and the sky is clear. Even then, the Firefall only lasts for about 10 minutes in the evening, so vantage points can be very crowded.Desktop Version

Oct 11, 2020A monastery in the mountain

Built into the side of a mountain in the Azat Valley of Armenia, the monastery of Geghard is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the country. The location of the monastery has been inhabited for millennia and venerated by locals since the pre-Christian era due to the spring which emanates from one of the caves in the mountainside. The monastery was originally founded in the 4th century by Saint Gregory the Illuminator—the patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church—though none of the original buildings survive.Desktop Version

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