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A giant relic in Java
A giant relic in Java
This photo shows the quiet, mist-shrouded wilderness surrounding the Buddhist temple known as Borobudur. The site is among the most-visited attractions on the island of Java, with devout practitioners making pilgrimages to the holy site and curious tourists coming to see the grandeur of the structure. With 504 Buddha statues and 2,672 sculpted relief panels, Borobudur is the world"s largest Buddhist temple. It was likely constructed in the 9th century and abandoned in the 14th as much of the Indonesian population converted from Buddhism and Hinduism to Islam.Desktop Version
Winter at Valley Forge
Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is the site of the winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington. On December 19, 1777, about 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children started to build 1,500 log huts where they would live for the next six months. At the time, the British were occupying the patriot capital of Philadelphia, just a day"s march away. Already two and a half years into the war, troops knew the harsh winter would stop the fighting, allowing them to organize and avoid mobilizing for several months. Life, however, was still challenging as they lacked funds for fresh food and clothing. There were no battles at Valley Forge, but nearly 2,000 people died from disease during the encampment.Desktop Version
Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
Today we visit the National Archives in Washington DC, where the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are on display, to mark Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It"s a single day with a dual purpose—commemorating the formation and signing of the Constitution, while also recognizing both naturalized citizens and those born in the US. Ordinarily, many people become naturalized citizens in group ceremonies on this day; on average, about 700,000 people become American citizens each year.Desktop Version
A truly American monument
A truly American monument
Sunlight on the Lincoln Memorial highlights not just the ornate detail of the monument, but the variety of material used to construct it. Architect Henry Bacon made sure to use granite, marble, and limestone sourced from states throughout the country. At the time of Lincoln’s presidency, there were only 36 states in the Union, so all 36 of those states’ names are what’s carved into the frieze directly above the columns. Now that we’ve given you a little bump of patriotic pride, remember that it’s Election Day. Did you vote?Desktop Version
What kind of bird laid these eggs?
What kind of bird laid these eggs?
These colorful little eggs are the progeny of the hoary redpoll, also known as the Arctic redpoll because of its extreme northern habitat. This hardy finch spends much of its time, including breeding season, in the brushy tundra of the northern polar regions. Because of the extreme cold, the female will often line her nest with feathers, particularly white ptarmigan feathers, as these appear to be. Sighting a hoary redpoll is a rare treat. The bird doesn"t exactly migrate, but in winter it will sometimes fly short distances farther south in search of food, so if you live in Minnesota, North Dakota, or Montana, you might get a peek at one on your bird feeder. You’ll recognize a hoary redpoll by its small yellow bill, red cap, dark face, and "frosty" white underbody streaked with brown. Or listen for the "chif chif chif" of its call.Desktop Version
Swinging into International Jazz Day
Swinging into International Jazz Day
You are seeing–and hearing, if you click the audio button on the lower-right corner of the homepage–the musical stylings of Mary Lou Williams, often called the first lady of the jazz keyboard. Williams was a composer, arranger, and pianist who recorded more than 100 records, collaborating with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Duke Ellington. She’s photographed here in 1943 by photographer Gjon Mili, who often hosted jazz jam sessions at his New York City studio.Desktop Version
Short-eared owl
Short-eared owl
Silently swooping over the open English countryside in search of its next meal is a short-eared owl, though that"s something of a misnomer. Named for the inconspicuous tufts on top of its head that resemble ears, the owl"s true ears are on the side of its head, hidden by feathers. But those tiny false "ears," which may function as display feathers or camouflage, lend the owl a distinctive appearance, and the short-eared owl is often affectionately called "shortie." Here in England, short-eared owls are seen more frequently in winter, when their numbers are boosted by an influx of continental birds migrating from Scandinavia, Russia, and Iceland.Desktop Version
Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
The city is the canvas tonight in Berlin, where the Festival of Lights is wrapping up its 10-day run in the German capital. The festival invites artists to illuminate landmarks throughout the city, like the Bode Museum, shown here overlooking the Spree River. The annual event is one of the most famous light festivals in the world, with more than 2 million visitors. Artists use light, projection, and video art to create their displays, and video artists compete in the World Championship for Projection Mapping, in which they project their works on national landmarks like the Berlin TV Tower and Berlin Cathedral.Desktop Version
At ease, it’s Armed Forces Day
At ease, it’s Armed Forces Day
It’s the third Saturday in May, and that means we"re celebrating all five branches of the US military on Armed Forces Day. To commemorate our enlisted personnel on this occasion, we bring you this image of paratroopers filling the sky over Fort Bragg in North Carolina, for the annual charity event called Operation Toy Drop. Every December since 1998, Army and Air Force personnel have brought toys to donate to needy children, and in return, earned their foreign jump wings by taking a parachute-aided dive.Desktop Version
Wild scene on the Merced River
Wild scene on the Merced River
This stretch of the Merced River has been officially designated "wild and scenic" by the federal government. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was signed October 2, 1968, by President Lyndon B. Johnson to preserve rivers with "outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations." It covers 13,416 miles of streams and protects parts of such natural treasures as the Allagash, Salmon, Snake, Trinity, and Missouri, which is the longest river in the US.Desktop Version
Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
If you need some inspiration for National Bike to Work Week, we present the racers of the Maratona dles Dolomites road race. The most dedicated of these competitors will pedal over seven mountain passes as they ride 85 miles through the Dolomite mountains of Italy. But hey, even if you’re simply biking a few miles in honor of Bike to Work Week, we commend you. The event is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, a group that touts the many benefits of cycling–good health, strong communities, and a healthy environment.Desktop Version
The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
Seventy-five years ago this week, the Battle of the Bulge began in the forests of the Ardennes, Belgium. On the morning of Dec 16, 1944, the beleaguered German army threw its best remaining troops and armor against a lightly defended section of the Allied line. Bad weather neutralized Allied air superiority and over the first few days, the Nazi offensive produced a "bulge" in the Allies" defensive line west into Belgium. Desperate to hold the line, US General Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to defend the strategically important crossroads in Bastogne. The town was surrounded for nearly 10 days by German forces, but the Airborne held out. In fact, a German demand for Allied surrender was rejected with a single word: "NUTS" (a bit of 1940s American slang that needed to be explained to the Nazi officers). In the end, the German offensive was defeated, with US forces having borne the brunt of the fighting—Americans sustained their highest casualties of any single battle in World War II.Desktop Version
Splashes of color for Watercolor Month
Splashes of color for Watercolor Month
World Water Color Month is the perfect excuse to get creative. Sure, you might not be able to paint something as iconic as Winslow Homer’s ‘Rocky Beach,’ shown here, but all you need is a set of watercolor paints from the drugstore to whip up a unique painting of your own. Art, after all, can be a cathartic form of expression. As Bob Ross once said: ‘In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home, the only thing I have power over is the garbage.’Desktop Version
International Museum Day
International Museum Day
On International Museum Day, we"re looking at the Centre Pompidou Málaga in Spain, an offshoot of the modern art museum in Paris. This location was introduced in 2015 as a pop-up branch—a temporary, underground space for exhibitions and multi-disciplinary experiences as well as workshops dedicated to younger audiences. Originally scheduled for a five-year run, it was extended until 2025. The piece we see here, "El Cubo," created by French artist Daniel Buren, is the only part of the museum that"s visible above ground. The glass cube functions as a multicolored skylight, its panels projecting tinted light into the subterranean museum"s courtyard below.Desktop Version
Taiwan yuhinas in Alishan National Scenic Area
Taiwan yuhinas in Alishan National Scenic Area
The Taiwan yuhina is a chirpy little bird with an eye-catching crest. Found only on the island of Taiwan, they constantly chatter while feeding and sometimes hang upside-down on cherry trees like bats. Birdwatchers can glimpse the small songbirds at Taiwan’s Alishan National Scenic Area, which features postcard-worthy forest trails and picturesque sunrises.Desktop Version
In praise of the old…the very old
In praise of the old…the very old
What better way to honor National Fossil Day than with this amazing dragonfly! It"s rare to find one in such exquisite condition, but this one was discovered in Solnhofen, Germany, where limestone deposits preserved some of the most detailed fossils ever found—including the birdlike dinosaur called Archaeopteryx. This dragonfly was preserved in the Solnhofen limestone about 150 million years ago in the Jurassic Period. It measures about 5.5 inches across.Desktop Version
Don t forget—it’s World Elephant Day
Don t forget—it’s World Elephant Day
Today for World Elephant Day, we"re at Amboseli National Park in Kenya, one of the best places in the world to see African elephants ambling on the savannah. (The views of Mount Kilimanjaro aren"t too bad either.) The 151-square mile park, which has helped protect elephants and other African animals since it was established in 1974, is home to about 900 savannah elephants. The African elephants seen here may be enjoying their special day today, but they won’t be jumping up and down to celebrate—they weigh an average of 12,000 pounds, so they stay firmly on the ground.Desktop Version
Lake Tai s cherry trees in bloom
Lake Tai s cherry trees in bloom
The tranquil appearance of Lake Tai belies its location within Wuxi, China, a metropolis of 7.5 million people in southern Jiangsu province. A short distance to the east is the megacity of Shanghai. But city life feels a world away here at China"s third-largest freshwater lake. More than 20 miles across in places, Lake Tai provides a needed retreat from urban life, drawing locals and tourists to its picturesque shores.Desktop Version
A history of Vinland
A history of Vinland
It’s Leif Erikson Day, a day to learn about, and marvel at, the story of this Viking explorer, born in Iceland and thought to have set foot on the North American continent a good 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Want proof? Head to Newfoundland, Canada, where today’s photo was taken. Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a Viking outpost on the island’s north coast in 1960. L’Anse aux Meadows, as it’s now known, is a historic site open to the public, and the only solid evidence that Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America, which they called Vinland.Desktop Version
Bright and colorful peacock feathers
Bright and colorful peacock feathers
Peacock feathers, multicolored and radiant, are instantly recognizable. Their signature "eyespots" flash in the light when a male displays its tail plumage for a nearby female, known as a "peahen."Desktop Version
A day to take a moment
A day to take a moment
"A field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air. It is continually receiving new life and motion from above. It is intermediate between land and sky." So Henry David Thoreau immortalized Walden Pond, but he could have been describing this calming image of Ežezers Lake in Latvia. Today, the birthday of that famous American advocate for pursuing a simple life is also National Simplicity Day, an annual reminder to unplug, slow down, step back, and consider your life. Thoreau"s most famous work (that you probably haven"t read since high school), "Walden," is his account of the two years, two months, and two days he spent away from society in a cabin near the shore of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Through this work he encourages us to take a step back and look for ways to simplify our lives. "Our life is frittered away by detail," Thoreau observed. "Simplify, simplify."Desktop Version
A Festivus for the rest of us
A Festivus for the rest of us
We didn"t have a Festivus pole handy, so we"re bringing you near the South Pole, where two gentoo penguins seem to be sharing a loud "Airing of Grievances." December 23 marks Festivus, a tongue-in-cheek observance created by writer Daniel O"Keefe. At first an O"Keefe family inside joke, Festivus was rebranded as a rejection of Christmas-season commercialism and written into a 1997 episode of "Seinfeld" by Daniel"s son Dan. The show introduced such goofy new traditions as the "Airing of Grievances," "Feats of Strength," and identifying "Festivus miracles."Desktop Version
Old man s whiskers growing wild
Old man s whiskers growing wild
The three-flowered avens is one of those lucky plants known by several common names, including prairie smoke and, yes, old man"s whiskers. The hardy perennial blooms across North American prairies in the springtime, setting off purple-tinged, closed bell-shaped buds that hang downward in clumps of three. After bees go to work pollinating the buds, the fertilized flowers open and turn skyward transforming their pistils into soft swirling tendrils that are said to resemble an old man"s whiskers. Take a good look at our image and decide if that"s what comes to mind for you. As summer marches on, the plants continue their spectacular show as the fuzzy seed heads take on a pink-tinged cast resembling low-lying prairie smoke.Desktop Version
Remembering Krakatoa
Remembering Krakatoa
Over two days in late August 1883, Krakatoa—an uninhabited island near Indonesia—experienced one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions of modern times. Ten times more powerful than the eruption of Mount St. Helens, it obliterated all but a third of the island and triggered massive tsunamis. The biggest blast could be heard 3,000 miles away—it’s still the loudest sound ever recorded. More than 36,000 people lost their lives, and the explosions impacted the entire world for years: Global temperatures dropped and skies darkened, causing huge crop failures. Sunsets turned a vivid red and the moon often appeared blue or green after the event due to the volcanic debris circling in the atmosphere.Desktop Version
Dance of the egret
Dance of the egret
They say, "Dance like nobody"s watching," but here in Florida, this reddish egret could very likely have an audience of birders. The species has a reputation for bold, energetic feeding behavior that can resemble a frenetic dance. As it stalks its prey in shallow water, the reddish egret is prone to prance, stagger, and leap, while strategically positioning its wings to block the glare of the sun and boldly stab at fish. It"s one of many species that make Florida a year-round delight for birdwatchers.Desktop Version