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Notes from an underground lake
Notes from an underground lake
The Ruskeala Mountain Park is an eerily beautiful reminder of the booming mining industry that thrived for centuries in this area of Russia near the border with Finland. Located on the site of an abandoned marble quarry, the park opened to the public in 2005. The centuries-old quarry has been flooded with groundwater since the end of World War II, although some old buildings and kilns from the mines are still intact.Desktop Version
Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
This scarlet winterberry shrub is the perfect hiding place for the northern cardinal. What better spot for singing in the winter holidays? Winterberry is a deciduous holly that"s native to North America and can be a modest shrub or a tree reaching up to 15 feet. The yellow and green flower clusters that bloom in spring give way to bright red berries in winter.Desktop Version
Paleontology meets art
Paleontology meets art
Though it looks like a fresco from ancient Greece, this is the fossilized remains of a fern found in Córdoba, Spain. The fossil dates back to the Carboniferous period, roughly 350 million years ago. This is a "compression fossil"—where a small amount of the original plant material was retained with the mineral deposits that helped form the impression. Why all the paleobotany talk? It"s National Fossil Day, and we’re excited! Whether you make a trip to your local natural history museum, trek off to a national park with a fossil exhibit, or just look at fossil photos on the web, we hope you find a fun way to celebrate National Fossil Day.Desktop Version
Happy Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day!
December 26 isn"t just a day for Santa to put his feet up and sleep off all those mince pies. In many British Commonwealth countries, today is known as Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the United Kingdom. There are a few conflicting theories about its origins, but it"s generally accepted that the name derives from the giving of "boxes" to lower classes on the day after Christmas. One thing is certain—it has nothing to do with pugilism, although it has primarily become a day dedicated to sporting events and shopping, much like the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US.Desktop Version
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
Beyond Walls for World Refugee Day
For World Refugee Day, we"re featuring an aerial view of "Beyond Walls," an art installation by the French artist Saype. In the span of five years, he aims to create the longest symbolic human chain around the world by constructing outdoor designs of interlaced hands just like this in over 20 cities. The first four were completed in 2019 in Paris, Andorra, Berlin and Geneva, Switzerland, shown here.Desktop Version
The Old City of Bern
The Old City of Bern
Welcome to a wintry wonderland in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We"re in Bern"s medieval center—the Old City—which looks much as it did when many of these buildings were constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries.Desktop Version
The artists come to Venice
The artists come to Venice
Our photo today shows a small part of artist Claudia Fontes’ sculpture called "El Problema del Caballo" (The Horse Problem). The Argentinian artist exhibited the large installation work with smashed pieces of stone surrounding the larger-than-life white horse, as if it had crashed into the exhibition space. The installation was shown in 2017 at the Venice Biennale, where artists from around the globe bring their work to show off at this every-other-year arts and culture festival in the Italian city of Venice. The Biennale is just starting up again this month, and many of the programs and exhibits will be going on through the summer and into fall.Desktop Version
Stepping into autumn
Stepping into autumn
Look closely and you"ll see a snake slithering down the steps of the Temple of Kukulcan (aka El Castillo or The Castle), in Chichen Itza, Mexico. Not a real snake, it"s an image created by natural light and shadows only during the spring and fall equinoxes. The equinox (which means equal night in Latin) is either of the two times each year—like today, the first day of fall—when the Earth"s orbit and position cause the sun to pass directly over the equator, creating equal amounts of daylight and darkness. According to Mayan legend, on both equinoxes this pyramid is visited by Kukulcan, the feathered serpent god. Thousands of spectators gather to watch and celebrate as seven triangles of light slide down the pyramid, illustrating Kukulcan"s descent.Desktop Version
Celebrate Mandela Day
Celebrate Mandela Day
Today we’re in Howick, a town near the east coast of South Africa, where this monument honors the anti-apartheid activist and South African president Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 100 today. Like Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, Mandela Day—celebrated on Mandela’s birthday—is intended not as a holiday exactly but as a day to answer the ‘global call to action’ by finding ways to engage in service to your local community. The best part about Mandela Day? You don’t need to be from South Africa to observe the event.Desktop Version
An impactful day
An impactful day
We"ll be the ones to drop the news on you: It"s Asteroid Day! Today you"re invited to explore a realm of science usually encountered only through white-knuckle action flicks: asteroid impact avoidance, or the study of what the heck we do if we spot a big chunk of space junk hurtling right at Earth. That"s right, don"t worry: People somewhere are coming up with plans for this.Desktop Version
World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day
They might look like spaceships from a retro sci-fi movie, but these strange shapes hovering above the mountains in Patagonia are of earthly origin. These are lenticular clouds, named after their lens-like shape. They form near hills and mountains where moist air is pushed up and over the peaks, cooling as it rises and condensing into water droplets. As wind blows over the mountains it can create a series of waves in the air, and these unusual clouds form in the crest of those waves.Desktop Version
On the wings of the Wright brothers
On the wings of the Wright brothers
For National Aviation Day, we’re highlighting a rare view from inside a wind tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. The plane is a replica of the historic craft that was invented, designed, and flown by the Wright brothers in what’s generally acknowledged to be the first powered airplane flight–an event that took place on Dec. 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On that day, both Wilbur and Orville Wright took turns flying their aircraft, dubbed the Wright Flyer, cementing their place in aviation history. Their original plane lives at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, where it inspires generations of pilots and innovators to come.Desktop Version
I ll call for pen and ink
I ll call for pen and ink
"…and write my mind." It"s Shakespeare Week in schools across the UK, so we"re field-tripping to the British Library for a peek at the only surviving specimen of what"s thought to be playwright William Shakespeare"s handwriting (if you don"t count legal documents). The scratchy cursive is inked within the script of Anthony Munday"s "Sir Thomas More," a then-controversial play about a king-defying statesman. In 1603, the censorial Royal Office of the Revels brought in Shakespeare among a team of writers to retool the script. But if Shakespeare"s task was to tone things down, he may have had other ideas: His three-page addition includes an impassioned speech by the title character to a mob that"s rioting over immigration policy.Desktop Version
Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Housed in the Arctic Circle, Norway"s Lofoten Islands are a crossroads of traditional life and modern industry. One of two towns in Lofoten, Svolvaer boasts a long history as a fishing village. Before it became a town of its own, it was part of the town of Vågan, where people have lived for over 1,000 years. Beyond fishing, it also serves as a sanctuary for travelers looking for a peaceful getaway, with as many as 200,000 visitors in a single year. The traditional rorbu houses, built on poles over water, add a distinctive layer of charm to the town. These cabins were once made for traveling fishermen and have now been refurbished to meet contemporary tastes.Desktop Version
Dark Sky Week
Dark Sky Week
During International Dark Sky Week, we"re counting ourselves lucky to have this spectacular nighttime view, considering the astonishing fact that 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky. Unneeded artificial light is classified as a pollutant and has been proven to have harmful side effects. Not only does it waste money and energy, it also disrupts plants and animals, is believed to impact the climate, and blocks our view of the universe.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
Pont Rouge
Pont Rouge
When the Pont Rouge (Red Bridge) of Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière was built over the Palmer River in 1928, covered bridges were already commonplace here in Quebec. Simple designs imported from the United States allowed relatively untrained workers to quickly construct crossings like this. "Ponts rouges" (often called this whether or not they were painted red) popped up wherever rural French Canadians required a convenient river crossing—as many as 1,500 were built between the late 1800s and the 1950s. Today fewer than 100 still stand, and some—like this one—are protected by local and provincial agencies for historic preservation.Desktop Version
Let the Highland games begin
Let the Highland games begin
Cue the bagpipes–today’s homepage brings us to Scotland for the Braemar Gathering, an annual celebration of Scottish culture that takes place today in the village of Braemar. These Highland games include traditional dance, music, and athletic competitions–and tartan, lots and lots of tartan (part of Scotland’s national dress). Since 1848, Braemar has regularly been attended by Britain’s Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth II, the official patron of the games, has come to Braemar every year since 1952, when she ascended the throne. It’s worth noting that she likes tartan too, and even has her own personal style of tartan—a pattern called the ‘Royal Stewart.’Desktop Version
Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Beneath Venice"s Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is a popular place to kiss your beloved as a gondolier guides you through the city"s canals. But the sighs that the name refers to aren"t from staring into your darling"s eyes. The enclosed bridge, completed in 1600, connects the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge"s Palace, and it is said that a prisoner"s last look at beautiful Venice would be from that bridge. And that"s reason enough to sigh indeed.Desktop Version
Jane’s Carousel delights
Jane’s Carousel delights
National Merry-Go-Round Day brings us to the Brooklyn waterfront, home of Jane’s Carousel, a merry-go-round that’s been delighting riders for nearly a century. Its story starts in 1922, an era of speakeasies and flappers and a booming time in carousel history, when the rides were a symbol of a community’s prosperity. Jane’s Carousel was built in Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio, a steel city.Desktop Version
Great hornbill, Thailand
Great hornbill, Thailand
The great hornbill is a remarkable bird found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Despite weighing as much as 9 pounds and growing up to 4 feet long, it is an agile flyer capable of maneuvering through dense forests. Alongside its striking black and yellow plumage, the great hornbill has a unique helmet-like casque on its bill, which amplifies its calls. The bird primarily feeds on fruit but also eats small mammals, reptiles, and insects. While incubating her eggs, the female great hornbill seals herself inside a tree cavity, leaving a small opening through which the male inserts food. This magnificent bird holds cultural and spiritual significance in many Southeast Asian cultures as a sacred animal and the subject of festivals.Desktop Version
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain
Even to the huge bummer that is glacial melting, there are bright sides: The radiant colors of Vinicunca (aka Rainbow Mountain) might have gone unseen had rising temps not melted the peak"s glacial caps beginning in the 1990s. Rainbow Mountain"s streaky sediment layers, multicolored like a wildflower bloom, were revealed by the 2010s. Since then, it"s become the most visited natural attraction in the lofty Peruvian Andes of the Cusco region. At more than 17,000 feet above sea level, Rainbow Mountain isn’t the tallest peak in the area—towering Ausangate is nearly 21,000 feet in elevation—but most visitors will need time to acclimatize before attempting the trek to the summit.Desktop Version
A Latino art exhibition in Denver
A Latino art exhibition in Denver
National Hispanic Heritage Month begins today in the United States. To explore the breadth of the Latino experience in the US, one might start with art—especially work from contemporary artists such as Gabriel Dawe, whose work is shown here. This is "no. 36" from Dawe’s Plexus series, a collection of art installations constructed from embroidery thread. The Plexus series is named for the networks of blood vessels and nerves that run through the human body. Dawe writes that his work–centered on textiles–seeks to examine gender and identity in his native Mexico and to subvert notions of masculinity and machismo. "Plexus no. 36," was on display at the Denver Art Museum in 2017.Desktop Version
Wheels up in Beijing
Wheels up in Beijing
Last Wednesday, September 25, China officially opened the world’s largest airplane terminal, Beijing Daxing International Airport. Constructed to alleviate pressure on the city"s existing airport, Beijing Capital International, the bright orange starfish look-alike took more than four years to construct. And travelers, hold on to your hats, because Daxing International will connect to China"s capital city—about 30 miles away—with a high-speed train that travels at top speeds of more than 200 mph.Desktop Version
World Population Day
World Population Day
On July 11, 1987, the world is thought to have welcomed its 5-billionth person. Thirty-six years later, our population has reached 8 billion and is still rising. World Population Day, established by the UN, is a day to reflect on how much life Earth can sustain, and how our lives impact our environment.Desktop Version