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On the wings of the Wright brothers
On the wings of the Wright brothers
For National Aviation Day, we’re highlighting a rare view from inside a wind tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. The plane is a replica of the historic craft that was invented, designed, and flown by the Wright brothers in what’s generally acknowledged to be the first powered airplane flight–an event that took place on Dec. 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On that day, both Wilbur and Orville Wright took turns flying their aircraft, dubbed the Wright Flyer, cementing their place in aviation history. Their original plane lives at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, where it inspires generations of pilots and innovators to come.Desktop Version
Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Goliath heron in Kruger National Park, South Africa
You are looking at the largest living heron in the world, the goliath heron, waiting for prey to swim by in Kruger National Park, South Africa. This wading bird is often referred to as the giant heron due to its enormous size—reaching as tall as 5 feet in height with up to a 7-foot wingspan. The goliath heron is a solitary creature, known for its slow, hunting-style movements and lives around lakes, swamps, and wetlands. They forage in deep waters and feast on large fish, like mullet and tilapia, as well as small animals including frogs, snakes, and lizards. They are often found in sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller numbers in western and southern regions of Asia.Desktop Version
Fall Astronomy Week
Fall Astronomy Week
The Milky Way has billions of stars; among them, our own sun finds its place. The galaxy"s name is derived from the radiant, pale appearance of the band of stars and gas clouds that graces Earth"s sky. Methodical observations of the night sky started with early civilizations but astronomy, the oldest natural science, remains a source of fascination today. It"s what brings stargazers to Portugal"s Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, a site free from heavy light pollution. Now"s a good time to seek out your own celestial spectacle, as it is Astronomy Week and the main event, Saturday"s Fall Astronomy Day, this year coincides with the autumnal equinox.Desktop Version
Paleontology meets art
Paleontology meets art
Though it looks like a fresco from ancient Greece, this is the fossilized remains of a fern found in Córdoba, Spain. The fossil dates back to the Carboniferous period, roughly 350 million years ago. This is a "compression fossil"—where a small amount of the original plant material was retained with the mineral deposits that helped form the impression. Why all the paleobotany talk? It"s National Fossil Day, and we’re excited! Whether you make a trip to your local natural history museum, trek off to a national park with a fossil exhibit, or just look at fossil photos on the web, we hope you find a fun way to celebrate National Fossil Day.Desktop Version
Celebrate Mandela Day
Celebrate Mandela Day
Today we’re in Howick, a town near the east coast of South Africa, where this monument honors the anti-apartheid activist and South African president Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 100 today. Like Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, Mandela Day—celebrated on Mandela’s birthday—is intended not as a holiday exactly but as a day to answer the ‘global call to action’ by finding ways to engage in service to your local community. The best part about Mandela Day? You don’t need to be from South Africa to observe the event.Desktop Version
Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Housed in the Arctic Circle, Norway"s Lofoten Islands are a crossroads of traditional life and modern industry. One of two towns in Lofoten, Svolvaer boasts a long history as a fishing village. Before it became a town of its own, it was part of the town of Vågan, where people have lived for over 1,000 years. Beyond fishing, it also serves as a sanctuary for travelers looking for a peaceful getaway, with as many as 200,000 visitors in a single year. The traditional rorbu houses, built on poles over water, add a distinctive layer of charm to the town. These cabins were once made for traveling fishermen and have now been refurbished to meet contemporary tastes.Desktop Version
Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge, Colorado
Gold mining put this Rocky Mountain town on the map in the 1860s, but today the real gold is the powdery snow that falls liberally on the slopes that surround the town. Breckenridge is one of Colorado"s premier ski and snowboard destinations. The resort has 35 lifts servicing five peaks and 2,900 acres of terrain. The visitors—who also arrive in the summer to fish, cycle, and paddle—easily outnumber the 5,000 residents of this quaint village. The gold mines have long shut down, apart from hosting visits from tourists. The enduring value of Breckenridge is its natural beauty.Desktop Version
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
For World Refugee Day, we"re featuring an aerial view of "Beyond Walls," an art installation by the French artist Saype. In the span of five years, he aims to create the longest symbolic human chain around the world by constructing outdoor designs of interlaced hands just like this in over 20 cities. The first four were completed in 2019 in Paris, Andorra, Berlin and Geneva, Switzerland, shown here.Desktop Version
Happy Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day!
December 26 isn"t just a day for Santa to put his feet up and sleep off all those mince pies. In many British Commonwealth countries, today is known as Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the United Kingdom. There are a few conflicting theories about its origins, but it"s generally accepted that the name derives from the giving of "boxes" to lower classes on the day after Christmas. One thing is certain—it has nothing to do with pugilism, although it has primarily become a day dedicated to sporting events and shopping, much like the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US.Desktop Version
Stepping into autumn
Stepping into autumn
Look closely and you"ll see a snake slithering down the steps of the Temple of Kukulcan (aka El Castillo or The Castle), in Chichen Itza, Mexico. Not a real snake, it"s an image created by natural light and shadows only during the spring and fall equinoxes. The equinox (which means equal night in Latin) is either of the two times each year—like today, the first day of fall—when the Earth"s orbit and position cause the sun to pass directly over the equator, creating equal amounts of daylight and darkness. According to Mayan legend, on both equinoxes this pyramid is visited by Kukulcan, the feathered serpent god. Thousands of spectators gather to watch and celebrate as seven triangles of light slide down the pyramid, illustrating Kukulcan"s descent.Desktop Version
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day
They might look like spaceships from a retro sci-fi movie, but these strange shapes hovering above the mountains in Patagonia are of earthly origin. These are lenticular clouds, named after their lens-like shape. They form near hills and mountains where moist air is pushed up and over the peaks, cooling as it rises and condensing into water droplets. As wind blows over the mountains it can create a series of waves in the air, and these unusual clouds form in the crest of those waves.Desktop Version
Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Beneath Venice"s Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is a popular place to kiss your beloved as a gondolier guides you through the city"s canals. But the sighs that the name refers to aren"t from staring into your darling"s eyes. The enclosed bridge, completed in 1600, connects the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge"s Palace, and it is said that a prisoner"s last look at beautiful Venice would be from that bridge. And that"s reason enough to sigh indeed.Desktop Version
Notes from an underground lake
Notes from an underground lake
The Ruskeala Mountain Park is an eerily beautiful reminder of the booming mining industry that thrived for centuries in this area of Russia near the border with Finland. Located on the site of an abandoned marble quarry, the park opened to the public in 2005. The centuries-old quarry has been flooded with groundwater since the end of World War II, although some old buildings and kilns from the mines are still intact.Desktop Version
Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
As twilight descends today, Chiang Mai, Thailand"s second-largest city, will come alive with thousands of glowing lanterns for Yi Peng. Held on the full moon of the second month of the Lanna lunar calendar, this celebration is about letting go of negativity and embracing new beginnings. The highlight of the festival is the release of "khom loi" or "khom loy"—floating paper lanterns—into the night sky, which becomes a sea of warm, golden lights. People often write their hopes and dreams on the lanterns. They gather around temples and palaces to send their wishes skyward, hoping for good fortune in the year to come.Desktop Version
It s aboat time for the Barcolana
It s aboat time for the Barcolana
Today we"re featuring an image of the Barcolana regatta, which is happening this weekend off the shore of Trieste, Italy. What makes this race so unusual—and so popular—is that it"s open to both professional and amateur sailors. Its beginning was fairly inauspicious—in 1969 only 51 boats sailed in the inaugural race. But it"s been drawing increasing numbers of sailors and spectators to Trieste each year. Last year, for the 50th anniversary of the Barcolana, 2,689 yachts raced the course and set the official record for largest sailing race in the world. Featuring a youth sailing race, an open-water swimming race, a night sailing race, music concerts, food and wine tastings, and many other events, the Barcolana offers opportunities for landlubbers and sea dogs alike to enjoy themselves during the regatta.Desktop Version
The lemurs of Madagascar
The lemurs of Madagascar
What better place to ring in World Lemur Day than Madagascar? The island, about the size of Texas off the coast of southeastern Africa, is the native home to lemurs. Today you"ll find over 100 species and subspecies of the critters here. Most are small, with a pointed nose, large eyes, and a tail. They mainly live in trees and can be highly social, like the ring-tailed lemurs on our homepage, or live a solo existence like the elusive aye-aye. Lemurs have opposable thumbs and five fingers with fingernails on each hand, characteristics that help secure their spot as members of the primate order of mammals. About 65 million years ago, scientists believe, lemurs drifted on rafts of vegetation from the African continent to the shores of Madagascar. Safe from competition and most predators, lemurs evolved into many highly specialized varieties and now can be found in almost all habitats on the island.Desktop Version
The Old City of Bern
The Old City of Bern
Welcome to a wintry wonderland in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We"re in Bern"s medieval center—the Old City—which looks much as it did when many of these buildings were constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries.Desktop Version
The artists come to Venice
The artists come to Venice
Our photo today shows a small part of artist Claudia Fontes’ sculpture called "El Problema del Caballo" (The Horse Problem). The Argentinian artist exhibited the large installation work with smashed pieces of stone surrounding the larger-than-life white horse, as if it had crashed into the exhibition space. The installation was shown in 2017 at the Venice Biennale, where artists from around the globe bring their work to show off at this every-other-year arts and culture festival in the Italian city of Venice. The Biennale is just starting up again this month, and many of the programs and exhibits will be going on through the summer and into fall.Desktop Version
An icy extravaganza
An icy extravaganza
We’re just outside Brainerd, Minnesota, for the Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake. Each year in late January, more than 10,000 people will come out to catch as many fish as they can—mostly walleye and northern pike, but all fish species are eligible. The contest is organized and run by volunteers exclusively, and 100 percent of the proceeds—around $150,000—goes to local charities.Desktop Version
World Space Week
World Space Week
Since the first pictures arrived from the James Webb Space Telescope this July, the world has been mesmerized by the vividness, resolution, and literally otherworldly nature of the telescope"s infrared images. The JWST"s technology will revolutionize the fields of astronomy and cosmology, allowing observation of the first stars in the universe and the formation of the first galaxies. The telescope"s high infrared resolution and sensitivity may even allow it to reveal potentially habitable exoplanets.Desktop Version
Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
This scarlet winterberry shrub is the perfect hiding place for the northern cardinal. What better spot for singing in the winter holidays? Winterberry is a deciduous holly that"s native to North America and can be a modest shrub or a tree reaching up to 15 feet. The yellow and green flower clusters that bloom in spring give way to bright red berries in winter.Desktop Version
Swim city
Swim city
Switzerland may be a landlocked country in the middle of Europe, but with about 6% of Europe"s fresh water flowing through its countless rivers and lakes, there are plenty of outdoor swimming spots to cool down in the Swiss summer heat. Today, we"re dipping our toes in the pristine waters of Lake Zürich in Switzerland"s largest city, which has developed its own urban lido culture. Dotted across Zürich, you"ll find lots of lidos (public open-air swimming pools or bathing beaches) that make the most of the city"s lakes. This time of year, it"s common to see bankers and other workers change from business suits into bathing suits as they enjoy a quick swim during their lunch break.Desktop Version
San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
We’re celebrating Pride weekend with a view onto a Beaux-Arts gem that has a prominent place in the history of gay rights and culture. Even the city of San Francisco itself has played an outsized role in fostering gay pride, community, and visibility. It’s a legacy that can be traced along the timeline of the city’s many firsts. The San Francisco Bay Area held one of the first Pride parades after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, the event that sparked the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBTQI+ civil rights. This is just part of the heritage that will be celebrated at San Francisco’s Pride this weekend, where people will be marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. A big parade is planned with vibrant displays that will decorate Market Street, continuing all the way to the Golden Gate City’s Civic Center.Desktop Version
An impactful day
An impactful day
We"ll be the ones to drop the news on you: It"s Asteroid Day! Today you"re invited to explore a realm of science usually encountered only through white-knuckle action flicks: asteroid impact avoidance, or the study of what the heck we do if we spot a big chunk of space junk hurtling right at Earth. That"s right, don"t worry: People somewhere are coming up with plans for this.Desktop Version
Poinsettia Day
Poinsettia Day
During the holiday season, poinsettias brighten up homes in suitably festive coloring, serving as symbols of goodwill. December 12 marks National Poinsettia Day, a special occasion to celebrate this holiday favorite. The plant was introduced to the US by Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and former minister to Mexico who died on this day in 1851. Poinsettias can be found growing in the wild from Mexico to Guatemala. The ancestors of the modern, commercially available version have been traced to the Mexican state of Guerrero. The crimson-leaved plant was used by the Aztecs as a red dye and as a fever-reducing medicine.Desktop Version