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Time for brass bands and beer
Time for brass bands and beer
Our photo today shows the crowds at an Oktoberfest parade reflected in the bell of a brass horn. In Munich, Germany, the 16-day festival will include many brass bands marching and playing celebratory Bavarian folk music, while other bands will play for the beer drinkers in the tents and beer halls that dot the festival grounds. Why call it ‘Oktoberfest’ when it begins in September? The original Oktoberfest began on October 12, 1810, as a massive one-day royal wedding celebration open to the public. On October 12 the following year, Munich citizens commemorated the wedding with another party, and an annual tradition was born. The festivities grew longer and longer each year over the course of two centuries, and Oktoberfest eventually extended into the weeks before the original date. Organizers supported the earlier start to take advantage of better weather in late September, but the party will forever be known as Oktoberfest.Desktop Version
Spring awakens
Spring awakens
No flower better signals the start of spring than crocuses, early bloomers that come in Easter egg colors such as purple, lavender, orange, pink, and yellow. Crocuses are perennial, flowering bulbs that are built for toughness. As you can see, the plants are able to endure frost and even snow because their flowers and leaves are protected by a waxy cuticle. That"s why the first blooms you see in spring are often crocuses. They can grow in a variety of environments, even in the high elevations of the alpine tundra above the tree line.Desktop Version
An uncommon look at an American icon
An uncommon look at an American icon
The tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1884, the Washington Monument was meant to capture the respect and gratitude American citizens have for our first president. The journey to build the obelisk was long and arduous, including a 23-year gap in the construction. According to Mark Twain, the incomplete monument looked like ‘a factory chimney with the top broken off.’ On this day in 1876 the Washington Monument was accepted into the National Park System, and today it’s one of the most recognizable buildings in the US.Desktop Version
Congratulations, 2019 Nobel Prize laureates!
Congratulations, 2019 Nobel Prize laureates!
This opulent room is the Golden Hall, a banquet hall in Stockholm City Hall, which will be one of the venues for today"s Nobel Prize award proceedings. The room, which is completely covered in mosaic tiles, includes representations of Swedish history and culture. Swedes refer to their capital as Mälardrottningen—the Queen of Lake Mälar—and our image depicts the queen with the city of Stockholm in her lap (the city lies between the lake and the Baltic Sea).Desktop Version
The dry days of winter in Etosha
The dry days of winter in Etosha
During the dry winter months from May to October, scattered waterholes sustain wildlife in the grasslands of Etosha National Park in Namibia. Large numbers of animals, such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, and our springboks here gather for a drink—making this among the best times of year to view wildlife. A medium-sized antelope, springboks are native to the dry savannahs of southern Africa where they once migrated in large numbers. Today, springbok herds live mainly on game preserves and protected areas like the 8,600 square miles within the Etosha boundaries.Desktop Version
Traffic jam on the caribou highway
Traffic jam on the caribou highway
Today we"re in Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska to witness one of the world’s great annual migrations. Every spring, a quarter million caribou come together to form the Western Arctic Herd and pass north through the 1.8-million-acre park to their summer calving grounds in the Brooks Range and its foothills. Then in the fall, the caribou make the reverse trip, heading south back through the park to where they spend the winter in the Nulato Hills and the Seward Peninsula. One of the best spots to see the herd on the move is where it crosses the Kobuk River at Onion Portage. This area is a major archaeological site too. For thousands of years, the crossing has drawn native groups that rely on caribou meat, a tradition that continues to this day.Desktop Version
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Today we"re in Hawaii to mark the 80th anniversary of the surprise attack on the US naval base in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The strike by Japan cost 2,403 service members and civilians their lives, injured 1,178 others, and thrust the US into WWII. The sailors you see here are standing on the deck of the USS Bowfin, a US Navy submarine that is now a memorial and museum moored in Pearl Harbor next to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.Desktop Version
Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
Each spring, folks across Japan observe "hanami," a treasured tradition of viewing nature"s breathtaking display of cherry blossoms. Japanese cherry trees, known as "sakura," reach full bloom in March in the south of the country. Our homepage picture shows cherry blossoms cascading over the moats which surround the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.Desktop Version
Reflections on the mighty Amazon
Reflections on the mighty Amazon
For World Rainforest Day we take you below these clouds to the Amazon River Basin and the largest rainforest in the world. Numbers help the story of this extraordinary place: At more than 2.1 million square miles, the Amazon accounts for half of Earth’s remaining tropical rainforests. And a fifth of the world’s fresh water flows through this river basin. Perhaps a tenth of the planet’s known species call it home, many of which have yet to be identified—that’s trees, plants, fish, mammals, and a third of Earth’s bird species. Now take a deep breath. The ‘Lungs of the World’ produces 20 percent of Earth’s oxygen, while storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide, earning it an all-star ‘carbon sink’ status.Desktop Version
Glacier cave in Iceland
Glacier cave in Iceland
The Land of Fire and Ice is home to countless natural wonders, like this brilliant blue cave formed within the ice of a glacier. (Glacier caves are often called ice caves, but the term "ice cave" is properly used to describe a bedrock cave that contains year-round ice; a glacier cave is formed entirely within the ice of a glacier.) The majority of Iceland"s glacier caves are in Vatnajökull glacier, which covers about 8% of the island nation and is one of the largest glaciers in Europe.Desktop Version
Where the bearded reedling sings
Where the bearded reedling sings
Feeling a hint of fall in the air? This bearded reedling could be, but a drop in temperature isn"t a signal for it to fly on to warmer destinations. These songbirds belong to a resident species, which means most stay put in the marshes, from England to eastern Asia, where they thrive. Their diet changes with the seasons: In the summer, they dine on reed aphids, while during the colder months, reed seeds sustain them. This guy—and we know he"s a male due the distinctive black "mustache" stretching down his face—is perching in the Elmley National Nature Reserve in Kent, one of the largest bird reserves in England.Desktop Version
World Rivers Day
World Rivers Day
Today we"re recognizing World Rivers Day, a celebration of our planet"s waterways. The event branched off in 2005 from its source, BC Rivers Day, which has been observed by British Columbians in Canada since 1980. The annual event is now celebrated on the fourth Sunday of September by millions of people in more than 100 countries. It is a day that raises public awareness about rivers around the world and encourages their conservation.Desktop Version
Is that a buzzing sound?
Is that a buzzing sound?
Why are dozens of colorful boxes stacked in this field? To provide homes inside their walls for millions of honey bees, those hardworking pollinators, producers of honey, and tormenters of Winnie-the-Pooh. Wild honey bee colonies build their nests in trees and caves, but manmade boxes also do the trick, and humans have been building their own beehives since antiquity. The modern beehive boxes shown here contain frames to hold honeycombs that bees produce to store their honey, pollen, and young. When the bees have produced plenty of honey, the beekeeper can simply remove the frames to extract some of it, leaving the rest to nourish the hive.Desktop Version
Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
In 1986, work began to convert an old rail yard in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from a relic to a heritage preservation site now known as Steamtown. A donated collection of train engines, some dating back to the 1800s, gave Steamtown exhibits to show off, while the fully functional rail yard provides a live demonstration of how trains work—and how rail transit greatly changed the United States.Desktop Version
A grand event
A grand event
It"s Grandparents Day in the USA! Did you know Asian elephants live an average of 60 years in the wild? That means this pair of pachyderms in West Bengal, India, could easily be grandparents. Or great-grandparents, or even great-great-grandparents, considering elephants normally start having babies at around age 12.Desktop Version
Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Two colossal stone hands cradle a shimmering, golden walkway, as though the mountains themselves are offering it to the sky. This is Cầu Vàng, or the Golden Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in the misty mountains near Da Nang in central Vietnam. Opened in 2018, the bridge quickly became a global sensation, captivating travelers with its unique design and awe-inspiring setting.Desktop Version
Let s celebrate cephalopods
Let s celebrate cephalopods
For World Octopus Day, we"re lighting up your screen with a shot of a nocturnal octopus from the genus Callistoctopus in its larval stage. It was photographed on a night dive near the Big Island of Hawaii. You may not consider octopuses cute and cuddly, but they have charisma to burn. The highly intelligent species has been observed solving puzzles, unscrewing lids, and even using tools. One study recorded octopuses collecting discarded coconut shells and carrying them back to their dens to use as shelter. In another incident that made headlines, an octopus named Otto taunted staff at his aquarium by repeatedly crawling out of his tank to shoot water at the overhead lights, causing them to short-circuit. Octopuses aren"t all brains—they"ve got heart as well (three, in fact!). The more we learn about this species, the more impressed we are. Can"t every day be World Octopus Day?Desktop Version
Happy Father s Day
Happy Father s Day
These bald eagles look like they"re enjoying some family time on Father"s Day. But today is extra special for them, because it"s also American Eagle Day, a celebration that commemorates the date in 1782 when the bird was added to the Great Seal of the United States, effectively becoming a national symbol. With an olive branch in its right talons and a bundle of 13 arrows in its left (representing the 13 original states in the Union), the eagle is said to represent a strong desire for peace, but readiness for conflict. You"ll recognize the Great Seal of the United States from its appearance on passports, flags, official documents, and American currency.Desktop Version
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day
Did you check the weather forecast today? Does it look like rain? Will it turn colder? What"s the outlook for the weekend? These questions may seem commonplace, even mundane, but the answers can be of crucial importance. Given our reliance on weather prediction, let"s tip the rain hat to the world"s weather experts on World Meteorological Day, celebrated each March 23 by the United Nation"s World Meteorological Organization (WMO).Desktop Version
Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Both natural wonders and historic landmarks, the "fairy chimneys" of Göreme may suggest the fantastical dwellings of an alien species, or an illustration from a Dr. Seuss book. These and similar rock formations are known by many names—hoodoos, tent rocks, earth pyramids, as well as fairy chimneys—and are typically found in dry, hot areas. Here in Cappadocia, in south-central Turkey, they were formed when a thick layer of volcanic ash solidified over millions of years into soft, porous rock called tuff that was overlaid by hard basalt. Cracks in the basalt allowed wind and rain to gradually wash away the softer bottom layer, leaving the hard basalt to cap tall columns of the tuff. The result is these unusual, often beautiful—and perhaps puzzling—formations that spread across the Anatolian plain.Desktop Version
Black History Month
Black History Month
To mark the beginning of Black History Month, we"re paying tribute to one of the few all-Black combat regiments in World War I, true heroes who were instrumental in achieving the Allied victory. The storied 369th Infantry Regiment, famously known as the Harlem Hellfighters, served in frontline trenches for 191 days—longer than any other American unit in the war—and suffered 1,500 casualties, the most losses of any American regiment. They fought under the 16th Division of the French army, because many white Americans refused to go into combat alongside Black soldiers.Desktop Version
Great cormorants
Great cormorants
Great cormorants are among the great anglers of the avian world. Found in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America, they"re expert at diving under the water"s surface to catch bottom-dwelling fish.Desktop Version
Happy World Photography Day!
Happy World Photography Day!
What"s the best thing to do when you come face-to-face with a giant manta ray? Take a photo of course, and then share your creation with the rest of the world, especially on World Photography Day, celebrated each August 19. As this photographer can attest, a lot of work goes into taking a great photo. There"s more to it than having mastery of your equipment and a willingness to go on the hunt for the perfect shot. You also must be ready for a magic moment like this one, so when that amazing shot does present itself, you"re ready to capture it.Desktop Version
The borrowed days are here
The borrowed days are here
This photo of a European crested tit weathering a late-winter storm in Scotland may sum up the way some of us living in the Northern Hemisphere feel about the month of March. While the calendar tells us spring has arrived, the weather often seems to disagree. It"s the blustery, unpredictable elements of this time of year that inspired an old Western European folktale that the month of March "borrowed" three days from April so that it could indulge in a few final winter-like days. These "borrowed days" are the last three days of the month. Perhaps take comfort that it"s only three days. In some parts of Ireland, March borrowed nine days. That"s too many days.Desktop Version
Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
The summer swaths of green in this field have transformed by wintertime to a harvest-ready red—but it"s not a harvest you can eat. Just what"s being grown here?Desktop Version