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A seabird gets schooled
A seabird gets schooled
This deep-diving Brandt"s cormorant appears to be on the hunt for a meal, and there"s plenty of Pacific chub mackerel to choose from here off the coast of Los Angeles, California. While seabirds like the cormorant are a threat to these fish, the mackerel aren"t exactly defenseless. Fish have many unique means of defense, such as traveling in dense schools like this one. It"s a technique that not only allows for speedy travel (because it reduces friction on most of the fish in the school)—schooling also makes it more difficult for predators to pick out an individual victim. For these fish, there"s safety in numbers. But when all else fails, they can take some advice from Dory in "Finding Nemo"—"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."Desktop Version
A night of art and culture
A night of art and culture
The arts festival known as Blaue Nacht, or Blue Night, was originally conceived as a one-time event in 2000 to mark the 950th anniversary of the founding of Nuremberg, Bavaria. That inaugural festival was popular enough that it became an annual event soon after, and attendance has grown each year since. More than 100,000 people attend this celebration of the city"s diverse arts and culture each May. The two-night artfest includes light shows projected on the outside of Old Town buildings, music performances, temporary art installations—like "Waldplastik" in today"s image—and access to Nuremberg’s cultural sites.Desktop Version
Hidden beauty in Thailand
Hidden beauty in Thailand
One of Thailand"s best-kept secrets, Huay Mae Khamin waterfall can be found in the forests of Khuean Srinagarindra National Park. The waterfall is especially picturesque this time of year, when the changing leaves provide a backdrop for the bright green water. Its flow originating in the mountains to the east of the national park, the waterfall stretches more than a mile, spilling over seven different levels before joining the Khwae Yai River below. It generally has water all year round, but in 2017, during the dry season, the river feeding the falls dried out completely for the first time, and the park was closed to visitors until the rainy season. Though the journey to this peaceful retreat might be long, it"s found a place on our ever-growing list of future travel destinations.Desktop Version
Racing toward history
Racing toward history
Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful marathons anywhere, the Marathon de la Baie du Mont Saint-Michel has attracted runners from around the globe to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The point-to-point route for the marathon was designed so runners can see the finish line at the base of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey from the starting line on the western side of the bay, and from points along the way. But you don"t need to be a runner to enjoy this historic location. Every year more than two million people travel to the tidal island, making it one of the top tourist destinations in France.Desktop Version
Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Mossy Grotto Falls is a tiny 20-foot waterfall in Oregon"s Columbia River Gorge, home to around 90 waterfalls. This winsome waterfall became popular in recent years after several renowned photographers snapped it following its discovery in 2006. Waterfalls around the world draw our attention and inspire emotions (and even themes for pop songs). In contrast to the serene, burbling Mossy Grotto Falls, Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest in the world, where water plunges 2,648 feet before reaching the ground. This roaring wonder is awe-inspiring and one of the top tourist-draws in the country. If you need a moment of reflection, we recommend searching for the nearest waterfall and taking a trip to connect with nature.Desktop Version
East River crossing
East River crossing
Imagine if you still had to take a boat to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Until the Brooklyn Bridge opened on this day in 1883, the only way to get across the East River was to board a watercraft. At the time of its construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s longest suspension bridge. It was originally called both the East River Bridge and the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, but the name ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ is the one that stuck.Desktop Version
Pining for spring
Pining for spring
Next time you"re out walking amid the verdant majesty of a conifer forest, take a moment to consider the small but mighty pine cone. It plays a crucial role in the trees" lifecycle but has also served as a potent symbol for a variety of human cultures. In many traditions, it"s been associated with fertility and enlightenment, appearing in art from the Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. That association comes from its main job—making baby trees. The ornate, woody pine cones shown here are females, and they"re designed to create and protect seeds. Male cones, which are usually smaller, produce pollen. The female cones open and close their scales to allow for pollination and eventually release their seeds onto the forest floor. But pine cones also open and close in response to changes in the weather, making them a natural barometer.Desktop Version
Cetacean Saturday
Cetacean Saturday
The US National Marine Sanctuaries system is a collection of 15 (and counting) protected marine environments, similar to our national parks. From August 2 through 4, the Marine Sanctuaries are hosting a "get into your sanctuary" campaign, to highlight the work they do. We"re joining them by showing this humpback whale breaching the waters off the coast of Maui. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is where many of these school-bus-sized whales gather in winter months to breed. But we"ll fly instead of swim there.Desktop Version
Southern lights for Antarctica Day
Southern lights for Antarctica Day
In honor of Antarctica Day, you"re seeing the southern lights dazzle above Halley VI, the latest version of the six-decade-old Halley Research Station in the British Antarctic Territory. The modular building stands on hydraulic legs and is movable via retractable skis. The five previous facilities, Halley I–V, were each compromised by Antarctica"s harsh climate and decommissioned. Since 2017, when scientists discovered dangerous cracks in the surrounding Brunt Ice Shelf, Halley has been unmanned during the dark Antarctic winter months—but the research team equipped it with an autonomous micro-turbine that keeps its atmospheric instruments ticking as the snowdrifts pile up.Desktop Version
Montreux, Switzerland, and all that jazz
Montreux, Switzerland, and all that jazz
We’re looking at Montreux, Switzerland, where the Montreux Jazz Festival begins today. Despite its name, the festival isn"t just about jazz. It highlights different styles of music across multiple venues over two weeks. This year"s lineup includes three farewell-tour stops (Elton John, Anita Baker, Joan Baez) and big names in jazz (Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin), as well as young artists representing a variety of genres. The festival began in 1967 at the original Montreux Casino, which famously burned down during a December 1971 Frank Zappa performance. The fire was memorialized by Deep Purple in their hit "Smoke on the Water." A monument commemorating the band and their song can be found next to the rebuilt casino.Desktop Version
Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
Today is Unicorn Day—or what celebrants call "the sparkliest holiday of the year." To honor the mythical horned beast, we bring you the next best thing: a pod of narwhals brandishing their tusks in the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals develop only two teeth, but—in males especially—the left canine can grow into a 9-foot-long spiraled tusk. The tusk juts right through the narwhal"s upper lip, lending the whale the nickname "unicorn of the sea."Desktop Version
The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
That’s the Arve river on the right, flowing into the Rhône. This point where the two rivers meet is just west of the city center in Geneva, Switzerland. The Arve’s much lighter color is due to the silt it picks up as it flows out of the Alps. From here, the Rhône will continue on—in a mostly southerly direction—through southeastern France toward its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea.Desktop Version
Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
February 17 is known as Random Acts of Kindness Day, and if you’re inspired by this event, our orangutan pictured here could use a helping hand. All three species of orangutans are critically endangered and are found only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. They face many challenges, including habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade. Nonprofits like the World Wildlife Fund are working to protect habitat for orangutans and many other species in Southeast Asia.Desktop Version
Venice by night
Venice by night
In Venice, Italy, the third Sunday in July is known as "Festa del Redentore" (The Redeemer"s Feast), which commemorates the city"s salvation from the plague in the 16th century. As Italy still reels from being hard hit by the new coronavirus, the holiday is particularly poignant this year. It traditionally features a fireworks display, a regatta, and a temporary bridge that connects the Zattere promenade to the Church of the Redeemer on the island of Giudecca. While this year"s celebration will look different due to COVID-19, it will still be an important and festive day for Venetians.Desktop Version
The Pearl of Siberia
The Pearl of Siberia
Russia"s Lake Baikal is a record-holding wonder: It"s the world"s oldest (25 million years), deepest (over 5,000 feet in some parts), and largest freshwater lake (more than 20 percent of the Earth"s fresh surface water by volume). Baikal lies in the deepest continental rift on Earth, and because the rift is geologically active, the tectonic plates continue to move farther apart.Desktop Version
We have liftoff!
We have liftoff!
The Wright brothers documented the first sustained flight in a powered, controlled aircraft on this day in 1903. That historic achievement was the result of single-minded perseverance, study, and experimentation. The brothers had spent more than a dozen years designing, engineering, constructing, and tweaking various test craft, including groundbreaking work done on the glider shown here. Orville Wright snapped this photo of the plane as it’s piloted by his brother Wilbur, gliding down the slope of Big Kill Devil Hill in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in October 1902.Desktop Version
Martinique
Martinique
Welcome to France—but don"t expect your picture taken at the Eiffel Tower today. Folks at this island destination may speak French and spend euros, but we"re more than 4,000 miles from Paris.Desktop Version
Reflecting on Black History Month
Reflecting on Black History Month
Join the Smithsonian as we celebrate Black History Month with the help of our National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). This stunning image of the museum looks out through its intricate, bronze-colored façade to the National Mall. The museum’s breathtaking exterior, a corona rising in three dramatic tiers, evokes the crowns found in the Yoruba art of West Africa, and its ornate design echoes the decorative ironwork found in the American South, often forged by African American slaves and freed Black Americans. The façade allows natural light to filter into the museum while also protecting artifacts on display from direct sunlight and glare.Desktop Version
Life in the slow lane
Life in the slow lane
In observance of Manatee Awareness Month, we"re swimming through clear, aquifer-fed spring waters in Florida with two friendly "sea cows." Generally solitary animals, manatees are also known to be curious and will approach boats. That"s why Florida enforces special speed zones for watercraft, particularly as the manatees are on the move to warmer areas to spend the winter. While manatees have no known natural predators, they remain a vulnerable species due to loss of habitat and collisions with boats. These two have arrived in Three Sisters Springs, a natural freshwater spring system in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. The refuge protects critical habitat for the hundreds of manatees that migrate here each winter.Desktop Version
Mountain goats
Mountain goats
Elusive mountain goats, like these three in Canada"s Yukon Territory, rarely let themselves be discovered as plainly as this. Despite its name, the hooved wild mountain goat is not a true goat—in fact, it"s the only genus and species of its kind in the world. Found only in northwestern North America, its closest relatives aren"t domestic goats, but the chamois of Europe and the goral and serow of Asia.Desktop Version
Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
Spring rains carpet the rolling foothills of Northern California"s Diablo Range in emerald green this time of year. Just past the sprawling suburbs of the East Bay region, the Diablo foothills become a sylvan playground for horseback riding, hiking, bicycling, and simply escaping into nature. Grasslands and oak savannahs cover the low ridges that gradually rise into the higher peaks of the range, and at the crests of the foothills, a visitor is granted panoramic views of the ridgeline to the east. Aside from the green grasses, springtime brings a profusion of wildflowers to the area, including poppies, daffodils, and lupines. It"s also nesting season for the many birds of the region, like the peregrine falcons that build nests high in the vertical rock formations here known as Castle Rock.Desktop Version
Nazaré Lighthouse
Nazaré Lighthouse
Instead of Surfin" USA, today we"re Surfin" Portugal—though if you shout a reverential "cowabunga" at these colossal waves, we"re sure the locals will get your meaning.Desktop Version
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
Four Sisters, thousands of trees
You"ll find this wintry, sylvan scene on the slopes of Mount Siguniang, the tallest summit of the Qionglai Mountains in southwest China. Its name, which translates as "Four Sisters Mountain," is inspired by the local Tibetan legend behind its four distinct peaks. According to the story, four sisters saved their people using a magic mirror to turn themselves into the mountain to imprison the devil. The tallest peak, named "Peak of the Youngest Sister," stands at 20,500 feet and is an extremely challenging climb—it"s rarely attempted and wasn"t summitted until 1981. The national park includes three valleys flanking the mountain and is part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to giant pandas, the sanctuary is home to the red panda, the snow leopard, the clouded leopard, and between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants.Desktop Version
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
Construction workers resting above Manhattan
For Labor Day, we’re going way back to the 1930s, during the construction of New York City’s RCA Building, better known today as 30 Rockefeller Plaza, or simply ‘30 Rock.’ While many of us will spend the weekend grilling, working, or maybe even napping like these workers (hopefully not 800 feet above the ground, though), it’s worth noting the origins of this holiday. Labor Day was established in the late 19th century, by trade unionists who proposed a day to honor the contributions of the labor movement. However you labor, and however you spend your day, we hope it’s a pleasant one.Desktop Version
It’s National Walk to Work Day
It’s National Walk to Work Day
Every year approximately 4,000 pairs of emperor penguins trudge across the frozen landscape to reach Snow Hill Island, turning this snowcapped island off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula into a crowded breeding colony. While there, the male penguin’s job is to carefully guard the egg his mate has laid, and make sure it stays warm enough so the chick inside can hatch. If your job doesn’t take you to a snow-covered Antarctic island, then why not celebrate by observing National Walk to Work Day today?Desktop Version