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Jan van Eyckplein in Bruges, Belgium
Jan van Eyckplein in Bruges, Belgium
Float down Spiegelrei canal in Bruges, Belgium, and you’ll arrive at the town square called Jan van Eyckplein. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of the North,’ Bruges has numerous canals that once fueled the historic city’s shipping economy. Jan van Eyckplein is named for the influential 15th-century Belgian painter, Jan van Eyck. A statue of him stands in the middle of the square.Desktop Version
The view will stop you in your tracks
The view will stop you in your tracks
When it comes to beautiful winter scenery, Switzerland is hard to beat. We"re looking at the Gornergrat railway station with the peak of the Matterhorn in the background. One of the last great peaks of the Alps to be climbed by humans, the Matterhorn was finally summited in 1865, capping off the decade or so that"s been called the "golden age of alpinism." The iconic peak is a daunting pyramid of stone and ice, towering just inside Switzerland"s border with Italy.Desktop Version
A dramatic view of Sicily
A dramatic view of Sicily
If you mistook this gorgeous, postcard-worthy image for one of the many coastal towns along Italy"s famous Amalfi coast, you wouldn"t be far off. However, the town seen here actually lies farther to the south, located on the eastern side of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean. Beginning in the late 19th century, sun-seeking tourists have come to the chic resort town of Taormina during the warmer months, looking to dine in its restaurants, relax on its beaches, and of course just to take in the exquisite scenery.Desktop Version
Kochelsee in Bavaria
Kochelsee in Bavaria
To English speakers, this is Lake Kochel. To German speakers, it"s Kochelsee. Whatever you call it, this popular recreation spot in Bavaria looks great all decked out in winter white. Imagine how quiet it must be when the lake is blanketed by snow. Now stretch your imagination further to the warm summer months when the shores of Kochelsee are busy with tourists out to get a dose of nature. The lake is just an hour"s journey by car or train, south from Munich. Visit during summer and you"re likely to see windsurfers gliding across the surface of the lake.Desktop Version
How do ladybugs winter?
How do ladybugs winter?
Our photo shows a single ladybug taking a winter’s nap near Tewin, England. That’s right, many species of ladybug hibernate over the winter. In Redwood Regional Park near San Francisco, this time of year is ‘ladybug season’—when hikers in the cool, damp woods may spot a large group of ladybugs—called a ‘loveliness’—huddled for warmth and safety, snoozing until spring. They’ll wake up, and get back to eating more crop-killing aphids—seems reason enough to let that loveliness of ladybugs into your yard.Desktop Version
A dreamy start to the Year of the Pig
A dreamy start to the Year of the Pig
We’re in Taipei, Taiwan, for the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, an event that’s lauded by travel writers as a ‘bucket list’ experience. Traditionally, lantern festivals like this one mark the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. The Chinese New Year began on February 5, ushering in the Year of the Pig, according to the Chinese zodiac. At the Pingxi Lantern Festival, participants will write wishes and prayers onto rice-paper lanterns before releasing them into the night sky. Thousands of people descend on Taipei for the event. What destinations are on your must-see list?Desktop Version
Big sky at Big Bend
Big sky at Big Bend
Seventy-six years ago today, on June 12, 1944, Big Bend officially became a US national park. The park covers more than 800,000 acres in West Texas along the Mexico border. This vast area—big enough to swallow Rhode Island—contains mountain, river, and desert ecosystems, including the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. Far removed from any urban centers and the light pollution that comes with them, Big Bend boasts some of the darkest skies you"ll find in the Lower 48, earning it a designation as an international dark sky park. Even after 76 years, Big Bend still glows.Desktop Version
Forward-thinking women of history
Forward-thinking women of history
How will you observe Women’s History Month? To get us started, we’re taking a close look at the Boston Women’s Memorial. In the foreground of our homepage photo today, we see a statue of Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book of her own poetry. The statue in the background depicts Abigail Adams, who was so politically and socially active in the early years of the US, that she is referred to as a Founding Mother and sometimes added to the list of Founding Fathers. Adams used her position as the wife of President John Adams to speak out against slavery, and in favor of women’s rights.Desktop Version
Bear cubs roughhouse on Siblings Day
Bear cubs roughhouse on Siblings Day
Let"s celebrate Siblings Day by peeking at the antics of these playful grizzly bear cubs (while staying clear of their mother). Pregnant female grizzlies settle into their den in winter and give birth while hibernating, usually to two cubs. While their mother sleeps, the cubs nurse and grow quickly. When springtime arrives, the new family emerges from the den to search for food. The siblings will live with their mother for two to three years, after which they"ll venture off on their own.Desktop Version
A winter light show
A winter light show
Come to Yosemite in February and you may be shoulder-to-shoulder with photographers hoping to get a shot of Horsetail Fall in the evening. When conditions are right, rays of the setting sun align with the falling water to set the cascade ablaze with light—a natural display called the ‘firefall.’ And in a bit of added mystique, Horsetail Fall itself is an ephemeral waterfall—it flows only for a short time in the winter and early spring.Desktop Version
A polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
A polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
In October and November, many polar bears descend on Churchill, where they wait for Hudson Bay to freeze before heading out onto the ice to hunt for ringed seals. Tourism has flourished in the town as a result, with people flocking to see the charismatic white giants arrive. If they’re lucky, the tourists may even spy a polar bear striking a perfect yoga pose, like our friend here. February 27 is International Polar Bear Day, an observance created to educate the public about this predator’s crucial role in its Arctic habitat, and the effects of melting polar ice on the polar bear’s future.Desktop Version
Stompin’ with the Big Chief
Stompin’ with the Big Chief
Today’s Bing photo shows Mardi Gras Indians parading at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which generally happens in April or May. But the big day for all the Mardi Gras Indians is today, Fat Tuesday itself.Desktop Version
May the Fourth be with you…
May the Fourth be with you…
Happy Star Wars Day! To celebrate, we’re at the Tunisian salt pan called Chott el Djerid. Nearby is a town called Matmata, where the residents still live and work in below-ground cave dwellings as a way to beat the heat. In the 1970s, when George Lucas needed a desert landscape to stand in for the distant home planet of Luke Skywalker, Chott el Djerid was chosen. Some of the film props—seen in this photo—are still standing, and continue to draw tourists into the region.Desktop Version
Celebrating Madagascar on its Independence Day
Celebrating Madagascar on its Independence Day
Who needs fireworks when you have a starry view like this? June 26 is Independence Day in Madagascar, marking the date in 1960 when the island country off the coast of East Africa broke free from France’s rule. In honor of the occasion, we’re featuring the baobab tree, Madagascar’s national tree, known for its oversized trunk. Several species of the baobab are endemic to Madagascar–which isn’t surprising, as about 90 percent of the plants and animals here are found nowhere else on Earth.Desktop Version
Morocco in bloom
Morocco in bloom
Millions of roses are harvested in May and June each year in the Dades Valley of Morocco, known as the Valley of Roses. (It"s also called the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, for the many traditional fortresses found here.) The Asif M"Goun River flows from high in the Atlas Mountains, bringing water to the lush valleys below.Desktop Version
Jupiter and the Galilean moons
Jupiter and the Galilean moons
On January 7, 1610, Galileo was the first person to train a telescope on Jupiter—and what he saw surprised him. Strung in a line beside the planet were three tiny stars, one to the left of the planet and two to the right. But when he observed the formation the next night, he saw that now all three were on the same side of Jupiter. Over the following week, he watched as the tiny stars (now joined by a fourth) changed their position relative to the planet while remaining beside it. By January 15, he had it figured out: he was observing four moons orbiting Jupiter.Desktop Version
A personal collection becomes an institution
A personal collection becomes an institution
That blue expanse on the left of today"s homepage image is the roof of the British Museum"s Great Court and Reading Room in London. The oculus at the top of the dome is made of glass, and the ceilings within are papier-mâché. The Great Court opened in 2000, a new addition to a storied institution. Irish physician Sir Hans Sloane sold his personal collection of antiquities and books to Great Britain in the early 18th century. Sloane’s items included many books, rare manuscripts, and artifacts from around the globe, and he wanted them preserved and exhibited in public. This led to the creation of the British Museum, the world’s first national public museum, which opened this day in 1759. The collection has grown and changed significantly since then, but one detail remains: Admission to this London attraction is still free.Desktop Version
Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
Art abounds at the Palais Garnier
Fancy opera houses like the Palais Garnier were designed for more than just watching a performance. The open balconies and winding staircases were meant to encourage people-watching, especially among the upper class. Commissioned by Napoleon III as part of his grand, transformative renovation of Paris, the Palais Garnier first opened on this day in 1875. Immediately upon opening its doors, it became the place to see and be seen—and to be surrounded by opulence. The domed ceiling shown here was painted by Marc Chagall in 1964, covering the original ceiling paintings by artist Jules Lenepveu. Chagall’s colorful, dreamlike work stretches nearly 2,600 square feet and depicts scenes from operas by 14 different composers, including Beethoven and Debussy.Desktop Version
Celebrating Minnesota’s statehood
Celebrating Minnesota’s statehood
Minnesota’s official state motto is L’Étoile du Nord, or ‘Star of the North,’ which seems fitting from this vantage point on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Today we commemorate Minnesota’s official statehood. On this day in 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state to join the Union–and it’s since given us plenty to celebrate. We have Minnesota to thank for Wheaties cereal, the invention of Scotch Tape, and even Bob Dylan, who was born in Duluth. For all you Minnesotans out there (and fans of Minnesota), here’s to you!Desktop Version
What s going on in this sky?
What s going on in this sky?
When the sky is clear, and the moon hangs low in the horizon, you can sometimes spot a halo around it, like the one captured in this image from Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast. And occasionally within that halo, you may also see a bright spot that appears to be a second moon. No, it"s not the moon"s long-lost twin, but an optical phenomenon called a paraselene, more commonly referred to as a moon dog or mock moon. This "false" moon can appear when the real moon is at least a quarter visible and is bright enough for its light to refract off hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals floating in the atmosphere. Moon dogs are more commonly seen in winter months, when ice crystals are more prevalent in the clouds.Desktop Version
A valley view at 9,000 feet
A valley view at 9,000 feet
This is the Dallas Divide, but we"re hundreds of miles from (and 8,500 feet above) North Texas. This saddle amid the southwestern Colorado Rockies cuts a swath just north of the San Juan Mountains. Nestled in those peaks you"ll find Telluride, Silverton, and other former mining towns that got a boost from the Rio Grande Southern Railroad when it came to the Dallas Divide in 1890. Nowadays the divide hosts State Highway 62, a less-traveled byway for most Colorado travelers—but worth the detour if you"re keen on a sweeping valley vista.Desktop Version
An unlikely friendship in the wild
An unlikely friendship in the wild
The raven and the wolf are companions for the ages. The two species are often depicted together in mythology and lore. In modern accounts, if there’s a wolf around, there’s likely a raven nearby. The highly intelligent birds are known to attach themselves to wolf packs in the wild and scavenge off carcasses left behind after a hunt. Ravens have even been observed playing with the wolves, pulling on the tails of wolf pups and chasing them at play. Sounds like fun, but we’ll watch from a distance, thanks.Desktop Version
In the Highlands for Saint Andrew s Day
In the Highlands for Saint Andrew s Day
Clan Campbell built this castle on the shore of Loch Awe in the Highlands of western Scotland during the mid-15th century. Kilchurn Castle withstood numerous structural changes and battles, but it couldn’t survive a lightning strike in 1760, and by 1770 the roof was gone and the castle in ruins. In the summer, you can hike to the site and explore.Desktop Version
A yearly sign that spring has sprung
A yearly sign that spring has sprung
If you find yourself in Germany or Austria around Easter, you"ll see trees, bushes, and cut branches decorated in colorful eggs such as these. The Ostereierbaum (aka Osterbaum or Easter egg tree), is a German tradition dating back centuries, though no one"s quite sure of the exact origin. Eggs have long been a symbol of rebirth and spring, and the sight of colorful eggs hung by ribbon can melt even the coldest of hearts.Desktop Version
Ancient groves in Australia
Ancient groves in Australia
Like mainland Australia, the island state of Tasmania is home to many distinct landscapes and ecosystems, and Mount Field National Park is a spectacular showcase of the island’s diversity. Tall swamp gum forests and massive tree ferns distinguish the base of the mountain, but climbing to higher elevations leads to the temperate rainforests of pencil pine, leatherwood, and other trees endemic to Tasmania along the shores of Lake Dobson, shown here. While rare species of plants and animals call the park home, perhaps the park’s greatest diversity lies with its fungi—the tremendous variety of mushrooms found here is still not fully cataloged, but fungi are increasingly understood to underpin the general health of the park’s ecosystems as a whole. And if all that natural diversity here isn’t enough to draw you to Tasmania’s Mount Field, some of the hills and mountains in the park have ski runs during snowy winters.Desktop Version