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Jul 27, 2021Maybe we should be looking up

When it first flicked on the projector lights in 1930, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago was the only one in the Western Hemisphere, and it featured an innovative new lens imported from Germany. But the American public"s fascination with stars and distant worlds, it turned out, was skyrocketing. By 1934, the Adler had welcomed over a million visitors.Desktop Version

Jan 23, 2023Moai statues on Easter Island, Chile

Today we"re looking at something you may have heard about before—the famous Moai statues on Chile"s remote Easter Island. These big-headed statues were carved out of solidified volcanic ash by the Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1500, and there are nearly 1,000 of them on the island. Archaeologists believe they were meant to honor Rapa Nui ancestors and were revered as symbols of power and authority. All but seven of the statues face away from the surrounding Pacific Ocean, and instead look inward toward the villages, as if positioned to watch protectively over the Rapa Nui.Desktop Version

Oct 9, 2021Birds 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

Jan 27, 2023Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba

Today we"re admiring red mangrove seedlings at Guanahacabibes National Park in Cuba. Mangrove forests not only protect coastlines but are a crucial component of tropical coastal ecosystems and are uniquely suited to thrive in brackish or salty water. These hardy trees can withstand the force of tremendous waves and ferocious winds, fending off the damaging effects of storms and erosion.Desktop Version

Jan 5, 2023Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in China"s Heilongjiang province, begins today with all the spectacle and fanfare you"d expect from the world"s largest festival of its kind. Big, bold, and beautiful, the event features more than 2,000 ice sculptures made from 240,000 cubic yards of ice collected by nearly a thousand workers from the nearby Songhua River. Many of the sculptures are illuminated with colored lights, creating a vibrant, glowing world of ice. It"s estimated the colorful sights attract more than 18 million visitors each year. The event, which runs through late February, also features alpine skiing, cold water swimming in the aforementioned Songhua, as well as a festive ice lantern show.Desktop Version

May 25, 2022The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

The winds of history have long blown through the beautiful halls of the Alhambra. Though it had been the location of fortresses as far back as the 800s, construction of the Alhambra (Arabic for "red castle") began in 1238 under the rule of Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Emirate of Granada. Ensuing leaders would continue construction of the complex, turning it into one of the finest examples of architecture from the historic Islamic world. The palace was the final hold of the Moors before the completion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, when the Alhambra became the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella. They greeted Christopher Columbus there later that same year.Desktop Version

Jun 16, 2023World Sea Turtle Day

Happy World Sea Turtle Day! Today people around the world gather to clean beaches and help animals like this hawksbill sea turtle thrive. The largest populations of hawksbill sea turtles are found in the Caribbean, Indian, and Indo-Pacific Oceans but you"ll find sea turtles in every ocean, except the Arctic and Antarctic.Desktop Version

Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan

The Tadami Line is one of the most scenic railway lines in Japan. It winds through beautiful landscapes over 84 miles from Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima prefecture, to Uonuma, Niigata prefecture. As travelers cross the Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, pictured in today"s image, they are treated to gorgeous vistas of the river below and the forests that blanket the area. After a snowfall, the icy blue water of the Tadami River cuts a bold streak through the forest, providing a welcome splash of color in a blanket of white.Desktop Version

May 28, 2021Freeloaders 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

Dec 17, 2021Bournemouth beach huts

Today we"re taking our bucket and spade to the seaside resort of Bournemouth on the south coast of England. OK, it might be a bit chilly to build sandcastles this time of year, but the festive glow of these cozy beach huts will warm us up as we enjoy a stroll along the seafront for the town"s annual Christmas Tree Wonderland—a trail featuring more than 100 glittering trees and illuminations. The huts in our photo have been decked out for the holidays, providing visitors with the perfect scene for a seasonal selfie—or should that be elfie?Desktop Version

Aug 25, 2019A 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

May 15, 2022Lunar 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

Feb 3, 2024Carnival of Venice

Don your tricorn hat and gilded disguise, it"s time to visit the Carnival of Venice. This centuries-old festival combines revelry with anonymity, thanks to the masks traditionally worn by attendees, from the classic square-jawed Bauta mask to the Colombina eye mask, with roots in Italian theater. Costumed rowers take part in a parade of traditional boats on Venice"s famous Grand Canal while thousands of people wearing elaborate costumes enjoy the carnival atmosphere. Parades, parties, concerts, and performances will fill the streets until festivities end on Shrove Tuesday, which falls on February 13 this year. Visitors might pass by the Santa Maria della Salute, seen toward the back of today"s image, a baroque basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who is considered to be the protector of the city.Desktop Version

Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington

Imagine spending the day hiking amid these moss-covered trees instead of frantically checking items off your holiday shopping list. Welcome to Green Friday, the environmental alternative to Black Friday. The aim is to encourage people to make ethical shopping choices—or to refrain from shopping altogether and embrace nature instead.Desktop Version

Dec 9, 2024Llama Day

Prick up your ears and crane your neck—it"s National Llama Day. Part of a family that includes camels, alpacas, and guanacos, llamas have long been domesticated in South America because of their hardiness and ability to thrive on the bleak vegetation in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes. At up to 6 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds, they were used primarily as pack animals for about 6,500 years. They were also bred as a source of food, hides, tallow for candles, dung for fuel, and fabric. While inferior to alpaca and guanaco wool, llama fleece is soft, warm, durable, and fairly lightweight. It"s used for clothing, rugs, and rope.Desktop Version

Dec 27, 2022Blue Lagoon spa, Grindavík, Iceland

Let"s be frank here, the origin of today"s beautiful picture is a pool of wastewater from a nearby geothermal plant. While that may not sound enticing, Iceland"s Blue Lagoon is one of the country"s most-visited attractions. The trick is to not get stuck on the "waste" part of wastewater. The water here is clean, always hovers around 100° F, and is enriched with tons of silica—which is what makes it blue—and sulfur, thanks to the plant"s processes. Those minerals, along with a little algae, are believed to combine into a highly beneficial tonic for skin and overall well-being.Desktop Version

Jun 10, 2023Porto Cathedral, Portugal

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Douro River, the Porto Cathedral is one of the best-known monuments in Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city. Built in the 12th century, this Roman Catholic church has an eclectic architecture style that combines Romanesque and Gothic influences with later Baroque additions. The space inside the cathedral is artfully decorated with blue and white azulejo tiles, which showcase some scenes from the Bible. Tiles like these are found throughout Portuguese cities, on apartment buildings, churches, and public buildings.Desktop Version

Feb 21, 2020Carnival comes to Olinda

It"s the first official day of Carnival in Olinda and the streets in the historic part of town will be alive with revelers who come out to see dozens of giant puppets parade through the town. The larger-than-life "bonecos de Olinda" kick off the festivities each year and have been part of the celebrations here for over a century. They can be up to 20 feet tall and weigh around 45 pounds each. But Carnival in Olinda is not only about these incredible puppets. Like other Carnival celebrations in Brazil, Olinda"s features music, dancing, costumes, and fun.Desktop Version

Jul 22, 2022Our 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

Jul 31, 2019Go 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

Dec 6, 2019 America s Playground by Derrick Adams

In honor of Miami Art Week, which is underway right now in Miami, we"re looking at a work called "America"s Playground" by New York-based artist Derrick Adams. The installation was featured during 2018"s Art Week and was inspired by a 1969 photo Adams found in the Black Archives at the Historic Lyric Theater in Miami. The photo shows African American children at a playground beneath a freeway in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, a historically African American neighborhood which was nearly destroyed by highway construction in the 1960s. The construction displaced thousands of black residents from their homes, threatening the livelihood of the community. In the late 1960s, city officials and private donors pieced together funding to install a playground under the new overpass. The park was well used for a time, but due to lack of lighting and maintenance, it eventually fell into disuse.Desktop Version

May 14, 2022Windmills in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands

This stretch of windmills is one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites—you probably recognize them from postcards and calendars. Both iconic and historic, the windmills in the village of Kinderdijk have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Netherlands has about 1,200 windmills, though only 300 or so are still operational. Over the years they"ve played a major role in pumping sea water away from the nation"s reclaimed land. Keeping the water at bay is a perennial issue for the flat Low Countries, where much of the ground is below sea level.Desktop Version

May 24, 2023Old 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

Dec 21, 2022Winter 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

Apr 21, 2022First 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

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