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Seville, Spain
Seville, Spain
The first recorded expedition to successfully circumnavigate the Earth returned here to Seville, Spain, 500 years ago today. This was the remnants of the Spanish fleet that had set sail under the command of Ferdinand Magellan almost exactly three years previously with the goal of finding a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. While Magellan gets the glory as leader of the expedition, he didn"t actually complete the marathon voyage—he had been killed in a skirmish in the Philippines in April 1521. In the end, his place as leader of the five-ship voyage was filled by Juan Sebastián Elcano, whose command ship, the "Vittoria," was the only one in the convoy that survived the trip. Harsh conditions, starvation, scurvy, hostile encounters, and other struggles had taken their toll: Of the roughly 270 crew members who set out, only 18 returned with the expedition.Desktop Version
Freeloaders of the avian world
Freeloaders of the avian world
Ever felt like some folks are just born jerks? Birds can relate. Take for example the uninvited speckly-white visitor to this robin"s nest: That smaller egg belongs to a baby cowbird whose mother sneakily laid it among the blue robin eggs when no one was looking. Once the baby birds all hatch, the cowbird will grow much faster and larger than its robin "siblings," soon becoming an only chick by muscling them right out of the nest. And if mama robin ejects the cowbird egg before it hatches, the cowbird mom may take notice and chuck the remaining robin eggs from the nest out of spite.Desktop Version
Go climb a tree
Go climb a tree
This egg-shaped observation tower in Germany’s Bavarian Forest National Park is part of one of the world’s longest canopy trails—and one of the most distinctive. Visitors reach the tower via a nearly 1-mile-long elevated walkway that winds around the tops of firs, beeches, spruces, and more at eye-level. From the 144-foot tower, built over three ancient fir trees, they can see the vast expanse of Bavaria’s forests and countryside. Not only do canopy walkways like this one give visitors a bird’s-eye view of the forest, they also allow people to experience nature without harming it.Desktop Version
A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
Today we’re viewing North America’s largest arts and music festival—dust free—from a satellite lens. Welcome to Black Rock City, the pop-up home of Burning Man, a raucous event that takes place in late summer each year on the sun-scorched alkali flats of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It’s an unusual set-up, a counterculture mecca where gifts reign supreme and money has no value.Desktop Version
World Lizard Day
World Lizard Day
When trying to draw attention to World Lizard Day, you don"t want to lead off with a scary Gila monster or monitor lizard. Nope, what you want front and center is a cute little gecko like the one we see here. Geckos come in varying sizes across 1,500 species and are unique among lizards for their vocalizations for mating, distress, and social interactions.Desktop Version
Bluebells in Hertfordshire, England
Bluebells in Hertfordshire, England
For just a few weeks every spring, across the pond in England and under the newly forming woodland canopy, one of the most enchanting flowers begins to bloom. The bluebell is known by many names but those who know it as the "fairy flower" might be the most prepared to withstand its strong, sweetly scented allure. According to British folklore, a blooming bluebell carpet on the woodland floor is a mystical place where fairies live. The legends hold that fairies hang their spells on the flowers to dry, and disturbing them would unleash the magic. In earlier times, children were warned that picking bluebells would cause them to be spirited away. Even adults could fall victim to the flower, being doomed to wander the woods and never escape. And heaven forbid you ever happen to hear the fairies ring the bluebells for their gatherings—it means your death is imminent, a belief that inspired another name for bluebells: "dead men"s bells."Desktop Version
Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
The cold, dreary backdrop of winter can be the perfect time to show off a little color. This male mandarin duck is doing just that with his handsome crest and vibrant plumage. Come molting season, he will look more like his brown-and-white female counterpart, except for his brightly colored beak.Desktop Version
Azaleas blooming on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
Azaleas blooming on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
Vast colonies of royal azaleas paint the sides of South Korea’s Hwangmaesan Mountain a vibrant purple as summer approaches. Sightseers flock to see this striking pink and purple carpet of flowers which was created gradually as dairy cows and sheep ate the grass and plants, but left behind the poisonous azaleas which spread across the mountain.Desktop Version
D-Day remembered
D-Day remembered
On June 6, 1944, after months of planning, Allied forces descended on the beaches of Normandy, France, for the start of one of the most ambitious military attacks in history. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the Battle of Normandy was an operation to free Western Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II. This military action would play a pivotal role in the Allies" win against the Axis powers.Desktop Version
Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, Vietnam
Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, Vietnam
Welcome to a spot where rivers meet borders in the most stunning way: Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, featured in today"s image. Tucked between the karst hills of Daxin County in China and Trùng Khánh district in Vietnam, these falls tumble along the Quây Sơn River. Over 95 feet tall and 980 feet wide, it holds the distinction of being the widest waterfall in Vietnam. Located just 169 miles north of Hanoi, this waterfall have gradually worn away their crest over the years, inching upstream. For most of the year, they flow as two distinct cascades, but come summer, when the rains swell the river, they merge into one big fall.Desktop Version
World Whale Day
World Whale Day
As surely as some tourists return to Hawaii each and every year, thousands of humpback whale families, like the one seen in this photo, make an annual winter visit to the waters off Maui. They"re the reason behind today"s cetacean celebration: World Whale Day. While the observance honors whales of all kinds in all the world"s oceans, it was here in Maui that the Pacific Whale Foundation first held the event and timed it to match the yearly return of the humpbacks.Desktop Version
Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
It"s Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada, a day to commemorate the 1896 discovery of gold at Bonanza Creek. The event set off the Klondike Gold Rush, which attracted thousands of prospectors to the region in search of gold, leading to significant economic and social changes. The population increase led to Yukon separating from the Northwest Territories and the formation of Yukon Territory in 1898.Desktop Version
Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
For the uninitiated, the origins of the made-up holiday Festivus can be traced back to an episode of the hit "90s show, "Seinfeld." Based on the real family tradition of one of the show"s writers, Festivus has taken on a life of its own in the real world and provides fans with a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to celebrate the holiday season while ignoring its pressures and commercialism.Desktop Version
Winter solstice
Winter solstice
The days only get longer from here! The Northern Hemisphere marks the beginning of winter today, but the winter solstice is also the shortest day of the year. The rainbow that encircles the sun in our image, a sun halo, is above Lake Antermoia, in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. Sun halos form when sun or moon light shines through ice crystals suspended in the upper atmosphere. When the light of the sun hits the crystals they serve as a prism, separating the light into individual colors of the spectrum, the same way rainbows occur after a rain shower.Desktop Version
Birds of a feather
Birds of a feather
For World Migratory Bird Day, we"ve journeyed down to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Mexico to join a group of sandhill cranes and their mallard duck friends as they feed in shallow water. Each year beginning in late October, this 57,000-acre refuge becomes the winter home to tens of thousands of migratory birds including sandhill cranes and various species of geese and ducks who travel from as far away as Alaska and Siberia to hunker down in warmer climes. They stay until late February when they begin their journey back north to their summer homes.Desktop Version
Menton, France
Menton, France
Anchoring the eastern end of the French Riviera near the Italian border is Menton, the so-called Pearl of France. It"s prized for its beauty and incredible weather that features an average of 316 days a year with full or partial sun. That climate enables Menton to enjoy amazing lemon yields that have given rise to the annual Fête du Citron, or Menton Lemon Festival, a 17-day extravaganza in February featuring floats and sculptures created out of lemons and oranges. More than 200,000 visitors marvel at the nearly 150 tons of fruit used in the festival.Desktop Version
First day of summer
First day of summer
After long—very long—winter nights, it"s not surprising that the First Day of Summer is cause for a big celebration in Iceland. The public holiday falls on the first Thursday after April 18, and launches Harpa, the first summer month of the old Norse calendar that was followed by the country"s first inhabitants. The year was split into just two seasons back then—summer and winter—which explains why Sumardagurinn Fyrsti, the First Day of Summer, falls in chilly April. Indeed, folklore has it that if you put a dish of water outside the night before the holiday and it freezes, you"ll have a good summer. Regardless of temperature, the holiday does herald the arrival of those famously long days with little darkness, a welcome relief after the light-deprived winter months.Desktop Version
Our Lady of the Rocks
Our Lady of the Rocks
Local legend here in Perast, Montenegro, has it that two brothers were returning from a dangerous sea voyage in 1452 when they spotted an icon of the Virgin Mary and Child in the waters near Saint George, a natural island in the Bay of Kotor. One of the brothers had injured his leg on the journey, but in the morning it had healed. Taking this as an omen, they vowed to honor the Virgin Mary by building her a church on the spot where they"d found the icon. They began dropping stones there, and even scuttling old ships. A tradition was born, and over decades, the fishermen of Perast would drop a stone in the water at that spot before heading to sea.Desktop Version
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
If you"ve ever been in Mexico during Day of the Dead festivities, then you"ve no doubt come across the beautiful orange flowers you see here. Marigolds are one of the main symbols of this festive, two-day celebration. The flowers are native to North America, and were deemed sacred by the Aztecs, who likened their bright colors to the sun. According to legend, those colors and the flowers" sweet aroma have the power to lure the souls of the dead back to this world from beyond.Desktop Version
Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite National Park, California
Fancy witnessing a fiery waterfall? The seemingly impossible can be found at this time of year on the eastern side of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park"s famous rock face. Horsetail Fall is a seasonal waterfall that flows only when there has been plenty of snowfall, and when temperatures have been warm enough to melt it. For a couple of weeks in February, if skies are clear, water is flowing, and the sun shines at just the right angle, the long, slender waterfall takes on a glowing, flame-hued appearance. Hundreds gather in Yosemite Valley to see this mesmerizing natural spectacle. The phenomenon has earned the moniker "firefall," an homage to the historic Yosemite Firefall, a manmade event from the top of the park"s Glacier Point that took place between 1872 to 1968. Eventually, park rangers decided that dumping embers over a cliff onto the land below wasn"t the brightest idea.Desktop Version
Lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
If you"re lucky enough to find yourself under a cloudless sky tonight, you"ll be able to see one of our solar system"s great wonders, a full lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon." The spooky nickname derives from the reddish hue the moon takes on when Earth casts its shadow upon it. Featured here is a blood moon over the Swiss Alps. A full lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth and moon align perfectly with the sun, and the moon falls directly behind Earth"s shadow. When Earth falls behind the moon"s shadow, a solar eclipse occurs.Desktop Version
International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day
Happy International Mountain Day! In celebration of highlands, we"re visiting the dramatic landscape of Huangshan—the Yellow Mountains—of eastern China"s Anhui province. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Huangshan has been described as "the loveliest mountain of China" and has inspired artists and writers throughout history. Composed of granite that formed 140 million years ago, its peaks emerge from seas of clouds, rising to 6,115 feet at its highest point, Lotus Peak. Visitors come here to experience breathtaking rock formations, pine trees, hot springs, and captivating winter landscapes. So, let"s climb high, dream big, and protect our mountains!Desktop Version
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion National Park, Utah
Today, we"re celebrating the 102nd anniversary of southwest Utah"s Zion National Park with a visit to its Subway slot canyon. Zion is defined by its breathtakingly steep red cliffs, its maze of sandstone canyons, and its waterfalls with colorful hanging gardens. Visitors here can trek for miles, ducking into crevices and resting in canyons once occupied by the Ancestral Puebloans.Desktop Version
The perfect canvas for an ancient text
The perfect canvas for an ancient text
Since 2009, the city of Durham has served as a grand stage for the biennial Lumiere Durham festival. During four days in November, works of "son et lumière"—a French phrase that means "sound and light"—provide spectators with new ways of viewing public spaces and buildings. Artists from around the world design large-scale light shows paired with narratives and sound effects. It"s become the UK"s largest light festival, and Lumiere Durham"s 10th anniversary, which begins today, promises to attract more than 200,000 people to enjoy the illuminated artworks along cobbled streets.Desktop Version
Old Fortress, Corfu, Greece
Old Fortress, Corfu, Greece
This imposing structure is the Old Fortress on the Greek island of Corfu, off the western coasts of Greece and Albania. Situated in a strategic location between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, Corfu became one of the most fortified places in Europe amid successive sieges by the Ottoman Empire. The island was ruled by the Republic of Venice for 400 years until the late 18th century, which built forts in Corfu"s Old Town to defend its maritime trading interests. They held off three Ottoman sieges in 1537, 1571, and 1716 but have been repaired, rebuilt, and added to over the centuries. The Old Fortress has witnessed the rise and fall of mighty empires for hundreds of years, from the tip of a rocky peninsula jutting into the sea. These days, however, it is home to the public library and Corfu"s archives.Desktop Version