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A day for the oceans
A day for the oceans
The Galápagos sea lion is found in two places in the world—its namesake locale and the Isla de la Plata just off the coast of Ecuador. The expert swimmers are often spotted playing and surfing in the waves. They"re gregarious on land, too, sometimes even grabbing a snooze on a town bench. Although a common and beloved sight in the islands, Galápagos sea lions are endangered, and their numbers are susceptible to changes in ocean temperatures, which can limit their food supply.Desktop Version
The island fox’s incredible comeback
The island fox’s incredible comeback
Meet the island fox, a petite resident of California’s Channel Islands National Park and a true comeback kid. The house-cat-sized creature is endemic to the islands, meaning it’s found nowhere else on Earth. In the 1990s, scientists observed the island fox population on Santa Cruz Island had dropped to fewer than 100 animals. The decline was attributed largely to golden eagles, who moved into new territory after bald eagle populations declined and found the island foxes to be easy prey. (Golden eagles are more prodigious hunters than bald eagles.) Environmental groups launched an effort to bring back the island fox, in part by relocating golden eagles, and by 2015, the population on Santa Cruz Island had rebounded to about 1,750. That’s good news for the fox–and for the entire island ecosystem. As the eagle situation demonstrated, most things in nature are interconnected.Desktop Version
Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
Today"s image captures Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa in action, surfing a record 80-foot wave off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. Nazaré began attracting surfers in the 1960s and has since become a major destination for men and women who want to surf some of the world"s biggest waves. Nazaré"s Praia do Norte (North Beach) is the site of the two latest records for largest wave ever surfed. The previous record was set by American Garrett McNamara on November 1, 2011, when he rode a 78-foot wave here. Then, on November 8, 2017, Koxa set a new record with this ride.Desktop Version
A little bit of Wonderland in New York City
A little bit of Wonderland in New York City
This statue of Alice in Wonderland is found on the east side of New York’s Central Park, near 75th Street. It was commissioned in 1959 by a philanthropist whose late wife had enjoyed reading ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to their children. "Alice" was first published on this day in 1865 by the English writer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who wrote under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. His story of a little girl who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world was inspired by a real girl, Alice Liddell, and it went on to become a classic, inspiring films, television shows, and artwork like this.Desktop Version
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, an observance created by the United Nations to draw attention to the distinct cultures of indigenous peoples and to support measures that protect their rights. This year’s theme is indigenous peoples’ migration and movement, highlighting questions of indigenous identity and rights, particularly as people migrate within and between countries.Desktop Version
A lunar lantern celebration
A lunar lantern celebration
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is a celebration of the autumn harvest observed by the Chinese and other Asian peoples. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the full moon closest to the fall equinox. Originally a plea to the gods for rains to ensure a good harvest next year, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a more secular bit of autumn fun, with children and adults gathering to give thanks, eat sweet mooncakes, and light lanterns like the hand-painted ones we"re looking at here from a previous celebration in Singapore. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival coincidentally lands on another holiday, China"s National Day.Desktop Version
Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
As we in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to greet spring, many in Australia are probably looking forward to the end of a punishing summer. Relatively temperate autumn weather must come as a relief to our friends Down Under. Some are likely greeting the change in seasons with a trip to the pool, like the swimmers in today"s image of the Bronte Baths, an ocean pool located in a Sydney suburb. While seaside swimming pools aren"t unique to Australia, this island country is known for its many oceanside pools, which provide sheltered spots for swimming in places where rocky shorelines and occasional shark attacks can make ocean swimming difficult or dangerous.Desktop Version
It’s oh so quiet
It’s oh so quiet
How will you celebrate International Literacy Day today? We’re highlighting this important observance with a photo of the Long Room of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland. Originally the Long Room was just one story tall, but in 1860, a second level was added to accommodate the growing collection. Literacy is considered one of the key pillars of success in the modern world. Programs to help those who want to learn how to read, or become better readers, are available in many cities—if there’s one near you, have you thought about volunteering there?Desktop Version
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
On May 8, 1945, thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe. This photo of the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées was taken from atop the appropriately named Arc de Triomphe, looking east toward the distant Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Victory in Europe (VE-Day) had come at last.Desktop Version
Aurora borealis
Aurora borealis
You don"t have to go all the way to Alaska to see the northern lights (they"ve been spotted as far south as Hawaii). But based on this stunner of a photo, we recommend it. And the farther north the better: Auroras are more frequent and intense the closer you are to the North Pole.Desktop Version
A crush in Lavaux
A crush in Lavaux
The "crush season," aka the grape harvest, has arrived in these picturesque Swiss vineyards. The steeply terraced vineyards of the Lavaux region along Lake Geneva"s northern shore produce grapes for some of the best wine in the country. The vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007, Lavaux is the largest contiguous vineyard region in Switzerland. It"s known for producing Chasselas wine, a light, delicate white wine that"s considered the ideal pairing with Swiss raclette cheese. Visitors enjoy hiking between the vines and wine tasting at local cellars in the villages along the lakeshore. We"ll toast to that!Desktop Version
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier is the crown jewel of its namesake national park, designated March 2, 1899, by President William McKinley. It was just the fifth national park in the United States. Beyond the mountain, the 369-square-mile park also includes valleys, waterfalls, old-growth forest, and pristine alpine meadows famous for summer wildflowers.Desktop Version
Hollywood s big night
Hollywood s big night
It"s Oscars night in Tinseltown, and we"re offering you a moment"s escape from the paparazzi to gaze over the glittering megalopolis of Los Angeles—and to get an unfamiliar view of a familiar landmark. The Hollywood Sign originally read "Hollywoodland" when it was erected in 1923 and festooned with light bulbs to advertise a real estate development. But within a few years, as the silent-film era gave way to "talkies," the sign evolved into a popular tourist attraction. Falling into disrepair in ensuing decades—at the peak of its decay, the sign was missing its third "O" altogether—the original was demolished and a sturdier version built in 1978.Desktop Version
National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
Hidden below the prairie at Wind Cave National Park, you’ll find something unexpected: one of the longest caves on the planet. This site includes 140 miles of explored passageways. What’s above ground is equally special, as the prairie supports one of the most genetically pure herds of bison in the country.Desktop Version
National Mushroom Month
National Mushroom Month
The humble mushroom may grow in some dark, hidden places, but this is its time in the spotlight. National Mushroom Month is celebrated each year in the month of September in the United States. That’s when the Mushroom Council, a group of commercial mushroom producers, takes advantage of the opportunity to educate people on all that fabulous fungi have to offer—especially the nutritional benefits. Mushrooms have long been associated with good health. In fact, early Romans referred to mushrooms as "food of the gods" and hieroglyphics suggest that ancient Egyptians linked the mushroom to immortality. In modern times, we"ve learned that mushrooms are a powerful source of vitamins and antioxidants. Which type of mushroom is your favorite?Desktop Version
Incense making, Vietnam
Incense making, Vietnam
Tomorrow marks the start of the Lunar New Year, known as Tết here in Vietnam. With celebrations fast approaching, these craftspeople in the "incense village" of Quang Phu Cau have been busy. Incense is used both in places of worship and on altars in family homes during Tết. The bright orange, pink, and crimson incense sticks are made from bamboo shavings hand-dipped in spiced and dyed paste. They"re then dried before bundling for sale all over the country.Desktop Version
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
Who s there? The largest owl in the world
To get us in the Halloween mood, we"re offering a seldom-seen sight—the Blakiston"s fish owl. Considered the largest of all living owls—about the size of a fire hydrant with a 6-foot wingspan—it"s among the rarest of owls, too. Experts estimate only a few thousand of these elusive birds remain, scattered in pockets of dense old-growth forests in northern Japan, the Russian Far East, northeastern China, and potentially North Korea.Desktop Version
The wild heart of Tasmania
The wild heart of Tasmania
This boardwalk leads to one of the many lakes that dot Tasmania"s Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, a crown jewel of the island"s Wilderness World Heritage Area. Covering over 623 square miles in the interior of the island, the park is home to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna. Marsupials like Bennett"s wallabies, quolls, Tasmanian pademelons, wombats, Tasmanian pygmy possums, and the legendary Tasmanian devils, as well as short-beaked echidnas and platypuses, can be found in its ancient forests and lakes.Desktop Version
Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
Make way for the green sea turtle, which you’ll find—if you’re lucky—swimming in tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world. You’ll notice that despite its name, the green sea turtle’s shell is not green at all. The name comes from the color of its fat, which takes on a greenish hue after the adult turtle starts eating seagrass and algae. Unfortunately, like many other sea turtle species, the green sea turtle is endangered and its population shrinking due to hunting, boat-propeller accidents, plastic pollution, and loss of nesting grounds.Desktop Version
A step toward freedom
A step toward freedom
This inscription marks the spot on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, where civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. stood while delivering his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. It was August 28, 1963, and King was addressing a quarter-million people spread across the National Mall during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. King referred to written notes for most of the speech, but as he neared the end of his prepared remarks, he heard gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was standing nearby, shout out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" King responded by partly improvising the rest of his message in a soaring, sermon-like delivery, punctuating his ideas repeatedly with that single phrase, "I have a dream." King"s dream for racial justice, so eloquently shared that day, would resonate through the crowd and across the nation, bringing passionate new energy to the civil rights movement. It still resonates today.Desktop Version
Celebrating Mexico in a Cultural Capital
Celebrating Mexico in a Cultural Capital
For Cinco de Mayo, we’re in San Miguel de Allende, a colonial-era city that’s ramping up for a special year. Located in eastern Guanajuato, it was named the American Cultural Capital in 2019 in celebration of its cultural heritage. This honor is given by an NGO called the International Bureau of Cultural Capitals, and it goes to just one city in either North, Central, or South America each year. The recognition comes with tourism marketing about the city in dozens of countries around the world, so others will learn about San Miguel de Allende’s many cultural charms and special events.Desktop Version
Wander the ancient medina
Wander the ancient medina
This colorful alleyway is in the medina—the ancient part—of the Moroccan city of Tétouan. From above, the medina appears to be a maze of traditional white plaster buildings surrounded by rampart walls and seven magnificent gates. But inside the maze, some alleyways like this one display a burst of color, an embellishment created by mixing pigments into the buildings" plaster. The passageways here are tall and skinny, large enough for a donkey and its handler to pass by, but too small for vehicles, so they invite peaceful strolls through the colorful shade.Desktop Version
Staircase of turquoise pools
Staircase of turquoise pools
While it"s snowy and cold in much of the Northern Hemisphere this time of year, December and January are popular months to visit Guatemala, where the skies are clear, but everything is still green and lush from autumn rains. Nestled in the Guatemalan jungle, Semuc Champey is a hotspot for adventurous tourists. Its name means "where the river hides under the stones" in Q"eqchi", a Mayan language spoken by local communities.Desktop Version
It s Census Day—make it count
It s Census Day—make it count
It"s Census Day, and we"re marking the once-in-a-decade head count with this populous pic of nesting king penguins in Antarctica. You"re probably wondering: Shouldn"t this crowd of penguins be social distancing right now? A smart observation, but the new coronavirus actually hasn"t been observed in Antarctica at all (it"s the only continent with no cases), nor have birds been shown to spread it. So, we"re giving these avian gatherers a pass, but we encourage you to stay safe at home. With care and patience, we"ll get back to enjoying each other"s company just like these feathered friends.Desktop Version
It’s NASA’s 60th birthday
It’s NASA’s 60th birthday
For some Monday inspiration, we’re looking to the sky. In honor of NASA’s 60th anniversary, these are the contrails from a 2007 liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which transported astronauts to space and back for 30 years before being retired here, at Kennedy Space Center, where visitors can view it in person.Desktop Version