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Dressed for winter fun
Dressed for winter fun
Native to North America, mountain goats spend much of the year scaling peaks from south-central Alaska down to the northern Rockies. They tend to live at high altitudes, often above 13,000 feet, where their sure-footed climbing ability allows them to clamber up extraordinarily steep, rocky slopes. In the winter, they"ll migrate down to slightly lower elevations to seek shelter in subalpine forests with south-facing rocky ledges, where the sun and relentless winds keep ice to a minimum. Here, they forage for lichen, mosses, grasses, and other greens. Their woolly, two-layered coats keep them toasty as temperatures dip, which is probably why even in the chill of western Montana this young mountain goat—or kid—appears to be having a ball. Enjoying winter is all about how you dress.Desktop Version
Mercury in retrograde
Mercury 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
How Quảng Ngãi got its grove back
How Quảng Ngãi got its grove back
Could these humble rows of trees prevent a natural disaster? The Vietnamese government hopes so. Mangrove forests like Bàu Cá Cái in coastal Vietnam"s Quảng Ngãi province are an important shield against destructive typhoons that rock the coast each year. Unfortunately, mangrove trees have been depleted over the years by population growth, climate change, and increased use of waters for fish farming. Plantings at Bàu Cá Cái—outlined by bamboo frames to create the neat patterns seen here—have been part of a major initiative to regenerate nearly 10,000 acres of mangrove forest around the country.Desktop Version
Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
If you like your landscapes on the surreal side, then this weird and wonderful river in the Andalusia region of southwestern Spain should be to your liking. The Rio Tinto (Red River) gets its name from the reddish hue of its water, caused by high levels of iron and sulfur, which make it very acidic. This unusual chemical makeup may or may not be a result of the area"s long history of mining, which dates back at least 5,000 years. Ancient residents like the Tartessians and Romans dug here for copper, silver, and gold, as well as the mineral pyrite, commonly referred to as "fool"s gold." Legend has it that the Rio Tinto was the site of the fabled mines of King Solomon.Desktop Version
Happy trees = Clean air
Happy trees = Clean air
We’re gazing up at the tree canopy in the Tambopata National Reserve of the Peruvian Amazon. The Amazon rainforest covers 60 percent of Peru’s total landmass, stretching over 37,000 square miles.Desktop Version
Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
Greetings from northern Thailand, near the city of Lampang, where the mountain peaks have been majestically transformed with the addition of these golden and white "floating" stupas and pagodas. Their construction was a monumental effort, with materials hauled up in pieces by around 50 workers under the direction of a Lampang monk over the course of two years. The resulting temple complex of Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn is off the beaten path and requires a half-mile stair climb in what can be punishing heat.Desktop Version
Combating extinction with citizen science
Combating extinction with citizen science
Just as every human has a unique set of fingerprints, each zebra has a subtly different pattern of stripes–and that trait is proving valuable in a new conservation effort. A nonprofit conservation project called Wildbook utilizes crowdsourced photos to identify and track individual animals that belong to threatened species. But it doesn’t just identify zebras. The effort extends to whale sharks, manta rays, giraffes and more. This new technology provides a non-invasive way to study the species over time. We’re fans of the project, especially since it helps friends like our Grévy"s zebra, which is endangered.Desktop Version
King of the dinosaurs
King of the dinosaurs
No other dinosaur has quite the notoriety of the Tyrannosaurus rex. The species gained widespread popularity in 1905, when a New York Times article hailed it as "the king of all kings in the domain of animal life," and the "absolute warlord of the earth." The so-called "tyrant lizard" has been a star ever since, regularly appearing in film, TV, literature, and—for some of us—nightmares.Desktop Version
National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
The final day of National Park Week brings us to Ruby Beach, a coastal destination named for its sparkly sand, at Washington’s Olympic National Park. Here on the Olympic Peninsula you’ll find rugged beaches, glacier-topped mountains, and temperate rainforests that receive upwards of 12 feet of rainfall per year. All that rain feeds the mosses, lichens, and ferns that lend the forests a unique, jungle-like quality. Thanks for exploring national parks with us for the past week–it’s been fun!Desktop Version
It s Slovenia s Independence and Unity Day
It s Slovenia s Independence and Unity Day
Today we"re featuring an image of the Slovenian village of Praprotno and its Church of St. Thomas for the country"s Independence and Unity Day. On December 26, 1990, the results of a Slovenian vote on the country"s independence were announced. More than 95 percent of voters answered "Yes" to the question: Should the Republic of Slovenia become an independent and sovereign state?Desktop Version
Enter the magical world of Livraria Lello
Enter the magical world of Livraria Lello
How will you celebrate International Literacy Day today? We"re highlighting this important observance with a photo of a very special bookstore, Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal. With its art nouveau façade, neo-Gothic interior, stained-glass ceiling, swooping catwalks, and the dramatic, curvaceous staircase with crimson steps, the Lello is considered one of the most beautiful—and among the oldest—bookstores in the world. The Lello bookstore opened in 1906 and has been serving up the magic of books ever since.Desktop Version
Not your average sandcastle
Not your average sandcastle
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, so of course we’re heading to the beach—the city beaches of Valencia, Spain. Valencia is famous for its beautiful, golden sand beaches, where people build incredible sand sculptures, like this one on Malvarrosa Beach. An elaborate sand sculpture can take over a week and multiple people to build. In fact, the world’s tallest sandcastle reached over 50 feet into the sky. But if you’ve got the time, sand, and water, you too can build a cool sandcastle.Desktop Version
Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
Yarn bombing–also called guerilla knitting, yarnstorming, or kniffiti–brings a warm and fuzzy bent to modern street art. Artists use knitted materials to cover outdoor fixtures such as lamp posts, park benches, and manhole covers–often anonymously. This knitted ‘fungus’ is on a tree in Gurnard, a village on the Isle of Wight.Desktop Version
Swimming into the season
Swimming into the season
This aquatic candy cane is called a banded pipefish. You won"t find it at the North Pole or on your Christmas tree, but in the tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific region, from Australia and Japan to the Philippines and South Africa. It"s in the same family as the seahorse, and like its cousin, the pipefish has plates of bony armor covering its body. This gives it protection, but a rigid body (like a candy cane!), so it swims by rapidly fanning its fins. Also like the seahorse, it"s the male pipefish—not the female—who carries the eggs. After an elaborate courtship dance, the female deposits her eggs in the male"s brood pouch, where they develop until the male gives birth. We"re not making this stuff up, but we can"t vouch for the theory that the red-and-white banded pipefish has a minty taste.Desktop Version
The moai you know
The moai you know
Roam around tiny, remote Easter Island and you"ll find almost 900 of the stern stone faces called moai. They seem ancient as the pyramids, even a little alien, but they were actually sculpted between 500 and 800 years ago from compacted volcanic ash that"s as terrestrial as it comes. You"re seeing six of the 15 moai that stand on Ahu Tongariki, the largest ahu (stone platform) on the island. These statues were toppled in the 18th or 19th century along with other moai island-wide for reasons not fully known to scholars, though earthquakes or possible tribal infighting are postulated. The statues were later buried by a tidal wave and lay in ruins until the 1990s, when they were excavated and placed back on the ahu.Desktop Version
The ‘Night of Nights’
The ‘Night of Nights’
This is the cypress tunnel at Point Reyes National Seashore, a nature preserve on the California coast north of San Francisco. The tunnel leads to KPH, a ship-to-shore radio station that once broadcast messages to marine craft in the Pacific. KPH stopped operations in 1997, as more sophisticated radio equipment and satellite communications made radio stations like it obsolete. Now it’s one of the unusual features of Point Reyes, open to visitors interested in a glimpse of the past.Desktop Version
Basking in the glow
Basking in the glow
Norway may not be top of mind for most sun seekers, but around the middle of May until late July, head north to the part of the country inside the Arctic Circle and you can experience a natural phenomenon known as the midnight sun. During these few months the sun is visible at midnight local time, like you see in today"s image of Norway"s North Cape. Of course, as nature strives to maintain a balance, during winter this region experiences polar night, when the sun never rises above the horizon.Desktop Version
Tiny fliers head south
Tiny fliers head south
The ruby-throated hummingbird in today"s homepage image is snacking on some yellow bells in the Texas Hill Country, preparing for its long journey south for the winter. This time of year, the hummingbirds leave the northern latitudes of the eastern US and Canada, migrating to the warmer climes of Mexico and Central America. Along their route, many will cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single 500-mile flight, which can take 18-22 hours of nonstop flying at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Tiny but fierce, the ruby-throated hummingbird weighs less than a nickel. It beats its wings about 53 times a second on average, but during courtship the wingbeat rate increases to 200 times per second, the fastest of any bird.Desktop Version
1, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
1, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
Today"s date, November 23, can be represented as 11/23, or 1, 1, 2, 3—the beginning of the Fibonacci sequence of numbers. Likewise, as the leaves on the Queen Victoria agave in today"s image spiral out from the center, they also express the Fibonacci sequence. This unique sequence of numbers was introduced to Europe in 1202 by the Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (posthumously named Fibonacci) in his revolutionary work, the "Liber Abaci." The book begins by describing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system or "Modus Indorum’—0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9—and shows how its application could simplify trade and make calculations faster and easier (most of Europe at this time used Roman numerals).Desktop Version
First Cliff Walk
First Cliff Walk
When it comes to breathtaking mountain scenery, it"s difficult to top the village of Grindelwald in the center of the Swiss Alps, flanked as it is on all sides by towering peaks such as the Mannlichen, Faulhorn, and Wetterhorn. In winter, Grindelwald is home to one of the biggest ski resorts in Switzerland"s Jungfrau region, and even in the offseason there"s still plenty of adrenaline-inducing activity to be found here.Desktop Version
A bite of ancient history
A bite of ancient history
Apples can be traced back to the mountains of Central Asia. In late 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great was busy conquering that region, and while in what is modern-day Kazakhstan he came across wild apples. Alexander’s military machine brought some of the plants back to Europe, and over the centuries, cuttings and seed splices began to produce the fruit as we know it now. The apples ready for harvest in this photo are on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada—a long way from Central Asia.Desktop Version
Saskatchewan s spookier side
Saskatchewan s spookier side
If you"re greeted by a friendly face and a warm "Welcome to Bents" as you stroll up to this old general store, you might be having a paranormal experience: It"s been 50 years since a living soul dwelt in this Saskatchewan ghost town.Desktop Version
Fall color sweeps across the West
Fall color sweeps across the West
The leaves are changing across the West, and few views are more striking than this one of the fall foliage in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the shadow of Chimney Rock. The spire and its neighbor Courthouse Mountain dominate the landscape here year-round, but the changing colors make this area—and drives along the nearby Million Dollar Highway—even more scenic in the fall.Desktop Version
In the Most Serene Republic
In the Most Serene Republic
Though some of the details of the founding of San Marino vary depending on who is telling the story, what"s certain is that in the 4th century CE, a stone mason built a Christian chapel on a hill near the Mediterranean coast and founded the settlement that would share a name with Saint Marinus. Over the centuries European nations grew, shrank, and changed—but San Marino remained, ultimately bordered on all sides by Italy. Today, this tiny nation, sometimes called the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, celebrates 1,718 years of existence and its continued status as the world"s smallest republic—24 square miles of quaint European charm embedded in Italy"s northeastern region.Desktop Version
North Cascades National Park at 50
North Cascades National Park at 50
You’ve heard of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks–but here’s a lesser-known destination to add to your national park bucket list. North Cascades National Park celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Located about 100 miles northeast of Seattle, and stretching up to the Canadian border, it"s surrounded by two national recreation areas and other protected lands, including several national forests and wilderness areas, and by Canadian provincial parks in neighboring British Columbia. Despite all of this stunning wilderness, North Cascades National Park isn"t nearly as busy as the big-name parks, and that can be a good thing. Here you’ll find the most extensive system of glaciers in the lower 48 states—more than 300 glaciers. It’s the glaciers that lend a lovely turquoise hue to freshwater lakes, like Ouzel Lake on today’s homepage. The 500,000-acre park also boasts spectacular wildlife, alpine forests, and waterfalls. See you there?Desktop Version