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Maldives
Maldives
Heart-shaped islands are more common than you might guess and can be found at many latitudes and longitudes. This one in the archipelago nation of the Maldives is hard to top for its beauty. A flight over this tropical gem might make for the most memorable Valentine"s Day ever.Desktop Version
A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
Today marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a holiday to recognize the vital contributions made by Hispanic and Latino people living in the United States. Why does National Hispanic Heritage Month begin on September 15 and not at the start of the month? The date was chosen because September 15 marks the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras—places from which many Latin Americans in the US and their ancestors have immigrated. The monthlong celebration is marked with events throughout the country, from an annual festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to ceremonies within all branches of the US military.Desktop Version
International Tiger Day
International Tiger Day
It"s International Tiger Day! A day to celebrate these magnificent animals and consider how best they can be protected. The largest wild cats in the world, all tiger species are endangered, facing challenges including habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade, and poaching. The Bengal tiger, an iconic subspecies primarily found in India, is the star of today"s image. As apex predators, Bengal tigers play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling populations of deer, wild boar, and bison. With an estimated population in the wild of between 2,500 and 3,000, tiger conservation is crucial to secure the future of this majestic species.Desktop Version
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a North American tradition with roots in the February 2 Candlemas observance practiced by German immigrants. The most well-known Groundhog Day celebration, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, was first promoted by a local newspaper editor in 1886. Thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney each year to witness the groundhog emerge from its burrow, and more importantly, to see if the critter spots its shadow. If it does, winter will go on for six weeks, according to tradition. If it does not, spring-like conditions are said to be coming. Studies have yet to prove any link between the two events, but that hasn’t cast a shadow over this unusual tradition, which remains as popular as ever in the 21st century.Desktop Version
Jazzed for Mardi Gras
Jazzed for Mardi Gras
To celebrate the Big Easy"s enduring legacy of music, we"re in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans for Fat Tuesday. As Carnival season culminates today with Mardi Gras celebrations throughout the city, this historically black neighborhood adjacent to the French Quarter will come alive with the music of jazz bands like the one depicted here. The sculptural profile of a traditional marching brass band marks one entrance to Louis Armstrong Park, a community space honoring New Orleans" musical roots with a 12-foot statue of its jazz legend namesake, as well as other art pieces depicting iconic NOLA musicians.Desktop Version
Lobster tales
Lobster tales
It"s peak lobster season in Maine, and colorful wooden buoys like these are marking lobster traps (or "pots") along the state"s coastline. Each lobsterman or woman has a unique color and pattern to their buoys, and designs are frequently passed down through generations. When not being put to use, lobster buoys are often hung from the sides of barns and sheds—they"re an iconic sight in coastal Maine.Desktop Version
Mountain hare hopping into Lunar New Year
Mountain hare hopping into Lunar New Year
Today is the start of the Lunar New Year, which ushers in the Year of the Rabbit. Those born under the sign of the rabbit are believed to be ingenious, sweet, happy, quiet, and persistent. Famous rabbits include Albert Einstein, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Messi, and Ingrid Bergman. The Lunar New Year celebration starts with the first new moon in January and goes for the next 15 days, until the year"s first full moon lights up the night sky. Historically it has been an occasion for feasting and honoring deities as well as ancestors. We"re doing our part by sharing this lovely winter image of a mountain hare in Derbyshire, England.Desktop Version
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Behold the rugged grandeur of Utah"s red rock country. This hidden gem of the American Southwest is Capitol Reef National Park, a tapestry of towering cliffs, twisting canyons, colorful sandstone buttes, and sweeping desert landscapes. Less popular than Zion and Bryce Canyon, the park offers a pleasantly uncrowded experience for visitors keen to enjoy this spectacular landscape. It is also home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including the elusive desert bighorn sheep and more than 230 bird species. But its crown jewel is the nearly 100-mile long Waterpocket Fold, a 7,000-foot-high step in the rock layers, officially known as a monocline. This massive wrinkle on the surface of the planet was formed around 50 to 70 million years ago.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
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark
Nestled in a picturesque valley next to a lagoon flanked by mountains, Saksun is a small, remote village famous for its stunning vistas. It is situated on the coast of Streymoy in the remote Faroe Islands, which sit about halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the North Atlantic. Home to these iconic houses with turf roofs and a tiny population—estimates vary between 8 and 30—it is said that there are more waterfalls in Saksun, than houses.Desktop Version
A path into history
A path into history
When it comes to tourist destinations, the Wuhou Temple in the city of Chengdu, China, must be among the world"s oldest. It"s been attracting visitors for nearly 1,800 years and remains one of the most popular attractions in all of China. Located in Sichuan province, this temple complex was constructed to honor two principal members of the Shu Han state (221-263) of China"s early Three Kingdoms period. And although the founder of Shu Han, Liu Bei, is honored with his own temple and shrine here, the real headliner is one of China"s most important historical figures, Zhuge Liang, who is remembered as a great wit, scholar, astronomer, statesman, and military strategist. In fact, the name Wuhou itself derives from the Chinese title "Marquis of Wu," which was an honorary title given to Zhuge Liang.Desktop Version
National Hammock Day
National Hammock Day
It’s National Hammock Day! A day to slowly unwind while rocking gently from side to side. These days, hammocks are associated with summer relaxation, but they were originally developed by Central Americans to protect them from dangerous insects and animals. Today the hammock is a traveler"s best buddy, made from a variety of materials like fabric, netting, or rope. But where best to hang it? Florida boasts some beautiful hammock hang-out spots, like the bald cypress tree pictured on our homepage. Have hammock, will travel and relax. It"s just that simple.Desktop Version
International Rock Day
International Rock Day
International Rock Day, on July 13, celebrates these hardy heroes, which have played a big part in human history since at least the Stone Age. They served as humanity"s first tools and as nature"s journals, protecting ancient fossils and documenting changes caused by geological processes.Desktop Version
Celebrating Panama s independence
Celebrating Panama s independence
What do you get when you cross historic feats of engineering with unmatched natural beauty? Answer: This photo of a suspension bridge in a rainforest. Or more generally: Panama, where the photo was taken.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
Adorable activism
Adorable activism
In 1995, officials wanted to build a traffic roundabout in this area of the Ferguson Valley in Western Australia. Locals weren’t interested in seeing the wooded land paved over, but the roundabout was installed anyhow. In response, someone placed a garden gnome on the construction site—a form of guerilla-art protest. Other small bearded, pointy-hatted fellows soon joined the original settler. The newly arrived wee residents at least prevented further development in the area. For what manner of villain would destroy the forest home of a bunch of garden gnomes? Eventually there were hundreds of gnome figurines, and a roadside tourist attraction was created.Desktop Version
The largest American bison around
The largest American bison around
Emerging from a stand of trees in the Northwest Territories of Canada comes a wood bison, the larger of the two subspecies of the American bison. (The plains bison is the other type). The wood bison once numbered in the tens of thousands, roaming the chilly boreal forests and open meadows in northwestern Canada and parts of Alaska. But by the early 1900s, these majestic animals, as with their cousins to the south, were driven almost to extinction by hunting, disease, and habitat loss.Desktop Version
Bridge of Hillsborough County
Bridge of Hillsborough County
The Hancock-Greenfield Bridge (aka County Bridge) has offered a picturesque passage over the Contoocook River in southern New Hampshire since 1937. It was built to replace another covered bridge that had been destroyed in a flood. But why even build a covered bridge? In a word, longevity. The roof and walls help protect the timber supports from rot. For comparison, an uncovered wooden bridge lasts an average of 20 years, while the covered variety can reach 100 years or more.Desktop Version
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Along the southernmost stretch of Georgia"s Atlantic coast are several barrier islands, and Cumberland is the largest. The US National Park Service (NPS) protects 9,800 acres of the island"s wilderness, a place where, as the NPS says, nature and history meet. Human occupation on Cumberland Island touches on numerous milestones in the story of America.Desktop Version
When an ideal microclimate gives you lemons…
When an ideal microclimate gives you lemons…
…put them on everything. That"s the philosophy behind the two-week Lemon Festival that began yesterday and runs through March 3 in the coastal city of Menton, France, where this citrus-covered dragon looms large. This sliver of the French Riviera just down the road from Monaco almost never sees freezing temperatures, even in winter. That makes it ideal for growing lemons, oranges, and other citrus crops—and the harvests are plentiful, as proved by the Lemon Festival"s many fruit-bedecked sculptures and parade floats.Desktop Version
Classical music takes center stage
Classical music takes center stage
We"re looking at the West–Eastern Divan youth orchestra rehearsing for a performance in the BBC Proms. The Proms (short for promenade concerts) is an annual music festival held in London over eight weeks from July into September. The first Proms took place on August 10, 1895 in the Queen’s Hall in Langham Place, London. After the Queen"s Hall was destroyed by a bomb during the Blitz, the Proms moved here to the Royal Albert Hall in 1941. This year marks the 125th festival and includes 150 concerts and educational events. While the focus is on classical music, the Proms in the Park event closes out the season with performances from Barry Manilow, Chrissie Hynde, and other pop artists.Desktop Version
Ministry of Fun Santa School
Ministry of Fun Santa School
If Kriss Kringle himself stood among this lineup of rigorously trained substitute Santas, you"d never know it: These certified Saint Nicks have done their ho-ho-homework. They"re students of the Ministry of Fun Santa School—each year the Ministry of Fun trains dozens of "Father Christmases" (as Santa Claus is known here in London). Skilled in the art of helping Santa to be in many places at once, Santa School graduates will soon be in demand at department stores across jolly England.Desktop Version
Long-eared owl in the Czech Republic
Long-eared owl in the Czech Republic
Whooo is that up in that tree? Why, that"s just a typical long-eared owl, sometimes called the lesser horned owl or cat owl. It"s one of the most numerous owl species in the world with an estimated population between 2 million and 5.5 million long-eared owls widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Our featured friend today was found in the Czech Republic, but they"ll adapt to several kinds of habitats.Desktop Version
Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week
Computer science is a dynamically developing discipline that has revolutionized our lives within a few decades. For Computer Science Education Week, we celebrate information systems and their power to connect the world, 24 hours a day. Where better to mark the occasion than the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN—birthplace of the World Wide Web? The 89-foot ball seen on today’s homepage is CERN"s Globe of Science and Innovation in Switzerland, in which visitors can learn more about the organization"s research work on particle physics. Quiet observers can wander around exhibitions and follow guided tours, and curious minds can take part in lab workshops and science shows for a first-hand experience.Desktop Version