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Shark Awareness Day
Shark Awareness Day
Today, on Shark Awareness Day, let"s dive into the ocean"s depths to meet our finned friends. It"s believed that sharks have been cruising the oceans for at least 420 million years. Today’s homepage shows blacktip reef sharks, hunting in a group in the waters around the Maldives, one of more than 500 species of shark, each uniquely adapted to its habitat. From the graceful hammerhead with its panoramic vision to the fastest species, the sleek mako, shark species are diverse, but a third face extinction. Among threats are unregulated fishing and abandoned nets as well as demand for shark fins. They have a fearsome reputation but are the victims of myths and misconceptions that paint them as mindless killing machines. Today, let"s celebrate these magnificent creatures, a key part of healthy marine ecosystems, by advocating for their conservation.Desktop Version
Autumnal equinox
Autumnal equinox
Fall is in the air—officially. The September equinox marks the transition from summer to autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere, spring is just beginning. The term "equinox," derived from Latin, means "equal night." It marks one of two points during the year when the sun sits directly over the equator, and the Earth receives roughly equal amounts of daylight and darkness.Desktop Version
St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
St. James Beach is a small, sheltered beach on Cape Town"s coastline, where vibrant Victorian bathing boxes sit side by side against an azure ocean backdrop. However, it"s the St. James Tidal Pool, pictured on our homepage, that steals the spotlight. This protected bathing area, built between rugged rocks, offers crystal-clear waters for a tranquil swimming experience. The pool is warm compared with the ocean, teems with small marine life, and is perfect for floating around without worrying about strong currents. For those who like to stay dry, the beach is perfect for leisurely strolls, soaking up the sun, and observing the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tides.Desktop Version
Wildlife crossing, Wierden, Netherlands
Wildlife crossing, Wierden, Netherlands
It"s not just chickens that cross the road. Wild creatures from frogs to elk roll the dice with death when they need to traverse the thousands of highways humans have threaded through wildlife habitat. Sadly, the dice don"t fall favorably for millions of animals each year, and collisions with vehicles often cause fatalities for both them and the drivers who hit them.Desktop Version
World Book Day
World Book Day
World Book Day takes us to the Tianjin Binhai New Area Library in Tianjin, China. Nicknamed "The Eye," this immense, stunning facility was completed in 2017 as the focal point of the Binhai Cultural Center. Designed by Dutch design firm MVRDV in collaboration with local architects, the library"s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves appear well stocked with books, but most of them are actually printed images. The real books are stored in traditional rooms with normal shelves. Still, it looks super cool.Desktop Version
Tibetan New Year
Tibetan New Year
Welcome to the year 2152. That is, in the Tibetan calendar at least. Today marks the start of Losar, the new year festival celebrated in Tibetan Buddhism, which is observed in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and parts of India. Losar celebrations run for 15 days, beginning the night before with a meal of guthuk—a traditional dumpling soup. The new year is rung in with an incense burning ceremony and visits to holy places to pray for good fortune in the year ahead.Desktop Version
Flamenco dancers
Flamenco dancers
Today"s image captures a split second of the sweeping arm movements and rhythmic foot stamping that are characteristic of Spain"s most famous style of dance. Flamenco is packed with passion and drama, as performers transmit their deepest emotions—from sadness and regret to exuberance and joy—through body movements and facial expressions. But flamenco is more than just a dance: It"s an art form that mixes dancing with singing, guitar playing, clapping, and finger snapping.Desktop Version
Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
We continue our celebration of National Park Week (through April 24)–and the UNESCO International Day for Monuments and Sites–with a visit to the impressive Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park. Square Tower House is one of many cliff dwellings constructed by the Ancestral Puebloans in what is now the American Southwest. At 27 feet, it"s the tallest structure in the park. Square Tower House is also notable for its kiva, a round, sunken room used for ceremonies. Unlike most of the ancient kivas found in the region, the kiva at Square Tower House has an intact original clay roof supported by wooden beams.Desktop Version
The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
Considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence helped lead Europe out of the Middle Ages as a center of politics, finance, art, and culture. Seven-odd centuries later, it"s a snap to get aerial views of that era"s marvels, like the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (known more simply as the Cathedral of Florence). A crowning achievement in a city of crowning achievements, the complex includes a campanile, or bell tower, and a white-roofed baptistery in addition to the cathedral with its grand dome.Desktop Version
Yarn for Distaff Day
Yarn for Distaff Day
We"re showcasing gorgeous soft wool and mohair yarn because today is Distaff Day, a celebration that dates back to medieval times. Truth be told, we"re not convinced that it"s really cause for celebration, since it marked women"s return to spinning work after Christmas, following 12 blissful, chore-free days.Desktop Version
Wind Cave National Park celebrates 120 years
Wind Cave National Park celebrates 120 years
Between the more famous national parks of Yellowstone and the Badlands lies Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Established 120 years ago, this national park is home to one of only four wild herds of genetically pure bison in North America. The two in our image are the descendants of 20 bison saved from slaughter by conservationists in the early 1900s. At the time, fewer than 1,000 wild bison were left alive out of a population that once numbered 50 million. Above ground, the park is the largest grass prairie in the country. Below ground lies one of the most extensive cave systems in the world. As the weather above changes, air flows into and out of the caves creating the wind for which the park was named.Desktop Version
National Lighthouse Day
National Lighthouse Day
It"s Lighthouse Day in the United States, so let"s stroll over to Spring Point Ledge Light on the breakwater next to Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, Maine. Lighthouse enthusiasts will recognize this as a caisson-style light station, meaning it"s a lighthouse built on top of a water-tight chamber called a caisson. In the US, caisson lighthouses were once known as "bug lights" because at a distance they appeared short and broad, a bit like a beetle on the surface of the water. After the invention of the internal combustion engine, the shape reminded many people of spark plugs, so they started calling them "spark plug lighthouses." Most caisson lighthouses are offshore or on dangerously exposed sites, but this is the only spark plug lighthouse in the country that visitors can walk to.Desktop Version
Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
This awesome white winter expanse is found in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. The famous Bernina Pass stands tall at an elevation of 7,638 feet and attracts winter sports enthusiasts from all over the world. Fun fact: Evidence of the oldest wooden skis, dating back to around 6000 BCE, was found in Russia. Boasting excellent snow conditions from November to March, the Bernina Pass is a must-visit spot on every skier"s bucket list.Desktop Version
2022 Winter Paralympics
2022 Winter Paralympics
The 2022 Winter Paralympics begins today in Beijing, as the Chinese capital becomes the first city to host both the summer and winter editions of the Paralympic Games. Over the next 10 days, about 600 athletes will compete in 78 different events across six sports—alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, para ice hockey, and wheelchair curling. All the events will take place in a strict Covid "bubble" system to ensure safety at the Games.Desktop Version
Sea Otter Awareness Week
Sea Otter Awareness Week
Officially called Enhydra lutris, and unofficially known as the cutest creatures that float, these sea otters in Sitka Sound, Alaska, are doing what otters do, showing us that it truly does take a village, in this case a flotilla. Groups of either males or females (sometimes with pups), are appropriately named rafts. Male rafts tend to be larger and can number more than 1,000 individuals. Sea otters" buoyant bodies indeed work like literal rafts, standing in as cradles, dinner tables, or any kind of solid surface. That"s handy because otters spend the vast majority of their lives in the water, even giving birth in the sea. Although they seem to live carefree lives, frolicking and grooming and diving, they also serve an important role in keeping their aquatic ecosystems healthy, something to remember this week as we mark Sea Otter Awareness Week, observed every year during the last week of September.Desktop Version
Belize Barrier Reef
Belize Barrier Reef
One of the greatest marvels of the marine world, the Belize Barrier Reef runs 190 miles along the Central American country"s Caribbean coast. It"s part of the larger Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that stretches from Mexico"s Yucatan Peninsula to Honduras and is the second-largest reef in the world behind the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Belize Barrier Reef has remained relatively healthy even as many of the planet"s reefs are threatened by climate change.Desktop Version
Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California
Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California
Step to the western edge of America, where the Walton Lighthouse, also known as the Santa Cruz Breakwater Lighthouse, is a beacon for passing ships. Built in 2002, this 40-foot-tall building replaced a more modest light. The Walton Lighthouse got its name from Charles Walton, a businessman who helped fund its construction in memory of his brother Derek, a merchant seaman who died at sea during World War II.Desktop Version
International Whale Shark Day
International Whale Shark Day
Say hello to the largest fish in the world, the whale shark. On August 30, we celebrate International Whale Shark Day to honor these magnificent marine creatures. These gentle giants are not related to whales, despite their impressive size—they can reach up to 40 feet in length. Whale sharks are calm creatures which are usually safe for divers to swim alongside. These sharks are filter feeders and consume plankton and small fish by sieving them through their gill plates. There has been a significant decline in their populations, with an estimated 63% decrease in their numbers in the last 75 years. Threats include being hit by boats or tangled in fishing gear and their habitats are being damaged by pollution, coastal development and over-fishing. Advocates work through education and community engagement to help safeguard whale sharks and preserve our oceans.Desktop Version
Big Bend National Parks birthday
Big Bend National Parks birthday
Happy birthday, Big Bend National Park! Since this humongous park was established in Texas in 1944, it has welcomed millions of nature lovers and adventure seekers. The park"s southern boundary is marked by the Rio Grande, which separates Texas and Mexico. If you look at a map, it"s clear how the area got its name. The river has a drastic change in course, bending from southeastern to a northeastern flow around the park"s boundaries.Desktop Version
Muskoxen in Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway
Muskoxen in Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park, Norway
These handsome beasts are a living legacy of primeval times—they"ve watched history unfold around them from the era of the woolly mammoth. The cow and calf in our photo belong to Norway"s only herd of muskoxen, and you can visit them in Dovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park. If you feel like roaming by yourself, follow the signposted Musk Ox Trail; just be aware that the massive animals are known to attack if they feel threatened, so give them a wide berth. That sound too scary? Jump on a park safari with an experienced guide who can keep you safe and help you see the muskox in all its hairy glory.Desktop Version
Light show at the skatepark
Light show at the skatepark
The art of light painting combines with the artistry of skateboarding to bring you this provocative image from Arvada Skatepark in Colorado. At 40,000 square feet, the park, which opened in 2012, is one of the largest in the country. The massive park includes a snake run, large bowl, medium bowl, street plaza with manual pads, banks, granite pieces, ledges, rails, step ups, stair set, benches, Jersey barrier, brick stamped china bank, and a pyramid. And if you know what all those things are, you"re probably a steezy sk8r.Desktop Version
Halloween
Halloween
Halloween is here! A night when glowing jack-o"-lanterns decorate doorsteps across the country. The custom has its roots in 19th-century Ireland, where turnips and potatoes were sculpted into scary faces. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, they found pumpkins much easier to carve and a new tradition was born. The digital age has made things easier still, for those whose carving skills are not up to scratch. This image was created with Bing Image Creator (now even better with DALL·E 3)—create your own jack-o"-lantern with the power of AI.Desktop Version
American Wetlands Month
American Wetlands Month
It"s American Wetlands Month, a time to celebrate swamps, marshes, bogs, and other types of these important ecosystems. Wetlands play a vital role in storing carbon, improving water quality, and serving as habitat for many endangered plants and animals, including American crocodiles and whooping cranes. And yet, wetlands are threatened. Over the centuries, they have been drained to provide land for farming, industry, and housing. Pollution and invasive plants pose further threats. Since the late 1700s, more than half of the 221 million acres of wetlands that once existed in the 48 contiguous states have disappeared.Desktop Version
Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
Reflecting the colors of the sky, this spectacular hillside in Yuanyang County, China, is just a small part of the vast Honghe Hani Rice Terraces UNESCO World Heritage Site. For 1,300 years, the local Hani people have carved thousands of these asymmetrical terraces around the contours of the Ailao Mountains in Yunnan province.Desktop Version
National Mountain Climbing Day
National Mountain Climbing Day
Today is National Mountain Climbing Day, dedicated to celebrating the sport while highlighting its many risks and rewards. In a bid to scale the tallest peaks and conquer difficult terrain around the world, mountain climbers embark on physically strenuous journeys that demand exceptional training and experience. But the panoramic views and sense of achievement after reaching the summit makes the effort worthwhile. Our image today is that of Denali, North America"s highest peak at 20,310 feet, in south-central Alaska. The name "Denali" means "the high one" in the native Athabascan language. Four climbers, Walter Harper, Harry Karstens, Robert Tatum, and Hudson Stuck, were the first to set foot on the top of the mountain in 1913.Desktop Version