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Of moles and liquid nitrogen
Of moles and liquid nitrogen
What a coincidence! Three days into National Chemistry Week, we dive further into STEM education to celebrate Mole Day. We’re not toasting the burrowing animal, but the unit of measurement (mole) used primarily in chemistry and molecular science studies. We don’t know how many moles of liquid nitrogen are in this photo, but we do like the dynamic look of the super-cooled element, which in liquid form can resemble boiling water. We hope this photo doesn’t depict liquid nitrogen after somebody in the lab dropped their keys into the vat. At minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit, liquid nitrogen tends to flash-freeze anything immersed in it.Desktop Version
Falling for Rioja
Falling for Rioja
While today"s image of beautiful fall colors in Rioja is serene and peaceful, the people of this area are hard at work harvesting grapes at 14,800 different vineyards across the region. And soon the 600 wineries in this smallest Spanish province will begin the lengthy process to turn this year"s grape harvest into its world-famous Rioja wines. (To get an idea of how tiny La Rioja province is, it makes up just 1 percent of Spain"s land area and only about 0.67 percent of Spain"s population lives here.) While winemaking techniques have evolved and improved over the thousands of years that wine has been made here, each year around this time locals and visitors gather in the region"s capital of Logroño to celebrate the wine harvest and see a traditional example of the first, uh, step of this process—crushing newly harvested grapes by stomping them with bare feet.Desktop Version
Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
This iconic view of the Milky Way from Zabriskie Point in California will draw crowds of photographers and tourists this weekend, as the Death Valley Dark Sky Festival begins. Death Valley National Park offers some of the best stargazing in the US and has been awarded the highest ‘gold tier’ rating by the International Dark-Sky Association.Desktop Version
Spring comes to the Palouse
Spring comes to the Palouse
The Palouse region of the inland Pacific Northwest is an unusually hilly prairie that straddles the state line between Washington and Idaho. Farming seems an unlikely endeavor here, but the soil and weather patterns make it ideal for growing certain crops, especially wheat and lentils. This time of year, when the wheat and barley crops are young, the hills brighten to fresh shades of green.Desktop Version
It s National Mushroom Month!
It s National Mushroom Month!
Is it just us or does this porcini mushroom look straight out of a fairy tale? We"re featuring this sweet "shroom today because September is National Mushroom Month, a non-official holiday inaugurated in 1992 as part of a governmental effort to promote mushroom farming in the US. Some of the biggest celebrations this month occur in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, which is recognized as the Mushroom Capital of the World. The town of just 6,000 people cultivates around 500 million pounds of mushrooms each year, about half of the total US crop.Desktop Version
Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
Known in North America as caribou, reindeer are built to live in freezing Arctic regions like northern Norway, where this herd was photographed under the transfixing swirl of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. Reindeer have evolved unique features that help them thrive in these harsh environments. Their noses are adapted to warm the air they breathe before it enters their lungs, which helps maintain a steady body temperature even in the coldest of weather. And most of their bodies, including their hooves, are covered with thick, dense fur to keep them well insulated. In fact, they are more likely to overheat then freeze—so when they"re flying through the starry skies tonight, they"ll be feeling snugger than Santa Claus in his red velvet suit.Desktop Version
Aloe in bloom
Aloe in bloom
The bright flowers of these aloe plants offer a striking contrast to their more recognizable green, spiky stems. Native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, aloes—including the well-known aloe vera species—are now grown outdoors in many locations that boast mild winter climates. They can bloom at any time throughout the year. And yes, even indoor potted aloes can be encouraged to bloom with the right amount of sunlight, water, and fertilizer.Desktop Version
World Frog Day
World Frog Day
World Frog Day is celebrated every year on March 20, a chance to consider the world"s most famous tailless amphibian. The star of fairy tales, cartoons, films, and TV shows, the charismatic and clearly photogenic frog accounts for almost all amphibian species. Frogs have been around for more than 200 million years, and although they live in both warm and cold places, most reside in tropical rainforests.Desktop Version
A tower of light
A tower of light
Today is the International Day of Peace, an annual observance created by the United Nations and first celebrated in 1982. To recognize this noble effort, we bring you to Viðey Island, just north of Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik. The island is home to the Imagine Peace Tower, a ring of lights and mirrors that beams up nearly 2.5 miles into the night sky. It was created by Yoko Ono as an extension of the peace campaign started by the artist and her late husband, John Lennon. The base features the phrase ‘Imagine Peace’ in 24 different languages. When speaking of today’s observance, the UN defines ‘peace’ in the broadest terms–ceasefires and truces, however temporary, are all lauded as efforts to create a world free of violence.Desktop Version
Islands of the Salish Sea
Islands of the Salish Sea
The San Juan archipelago is made up of over 400 islands and rocks, some only visible during low tide. They"re scattered across the Salish Sea between Washington state and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. No bridges connect the San Juans to the mainland, but four of the largest islands—San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw—are accessible via the Washington State Ferries system. Tourists come to the islands to take in the stunning coastal views, catch a glimpse of resident orcas, and partake in many outdoor activities, such as sea kayaking, biking, and hiking.Desktop Version
Sailing on thick ice
Sailing on thick ice
New York"s Hudson River, winter of 2014: Temperatures were so cold for so long that sailors were able to take their antique wooden ice yachts out for a sail on this 20-mile stretch of thick ice. It was a rare sight for the area. Global warming meant that the Hudson River hadn"t frozen thick enough for safe iceboating in years.Desktop Version
North Cascades National Park at 50
North Cascades National Park at 50
You’ve heard of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks–but here’s a lesser-known destination to add to your national park bucket list. North Cascades National Park celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Located about 100 miles northeast of Seattle, and stretching up to the Canadian border, it"s surrounded by two national recreation areas and other protected lands, including several national forests and wilderness areas, and by Canadian provincial parks in neighboring British Columbia. Despite all of this stunning wilderness, North Cascades National Park isn"t nearly as busy as the big-name parks, and that can be a good thing. Here you’ll find the most extensive system of glaciers in the lower 48 states—more than 300 glaciers. It’s the glaciers that lend a lovely turquoise hue to freshwater lakes, like Ouzel Lake on today’s homepage. The 500,000-acre park also boasts spectacular wildlife, alpine forests, and waterfalls. See you there?Desktop Version
Sky island views
Sky island views
Though it"s December, it isn"t cold and snowy everywhere in North America. Here, near Tucson, Arizona, the Sonoran Desert stays warm year-round. In this photo, we"re looking at a "sky island"—an isolated, high-elevation woodland surrounded by radically different lowland environments. In this case, the desert land at the base of the mountain is peppered with saguaros—a stately cactus recognized for its long arms. The snow-capped Santa Catalina Mountains in the distance are part of the Madrean Sky Islands and are home to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, which is the southernmost ski destination in the US. The ski area covers the slopes of Mount Lemmon, which reaches an elevation of about 9,100 feet at the summit and can receive around 180 inches of snow annually.Desktop Version
Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Every year, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in Mexico takes place in the forested mountains west of Mexico City. During the fall, colonies of monarch butterflies migrate here from colder northern climates to find warmth and begin their breeding season. These huge flying colonies can contain as many as 20 million monarchs, which make use of air currents to travel as far as 100 nautical miles per day. The monarchs remain in Mexico from around November to March.Desktop Version
It s National Camera Day. Get the picture?
It s National Camera Day. Get the picture?
Here on the green grass of Cape Coral, Florida, this owl looks ready for his closeup, and ready for National Camera Day. June 29 commemorates photographs, the camera, and their invention. The history of the camera goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Chinese, who used pinhole cameras (camera obscuras), similar to what you might use to view a solar eclipse. The camera obscura could project an image but didn’t leave a lasting one.Desktop Version
Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
This rock-solid house in the Fafe mountains of northwest Portugal looks like it could be the home of a modern Stone Age family. Known locally as Casa do Penedo (House of the Rock), its prehistoric appearance has drawn comparisons to the Flintstones" dwelling in the fictional town of Bedrock. But the secluded stone structure on our homepage is very much real—it was built as a rural retreat in the Portuguese countryside in the 1970s. The building is sandwiched between four boulders that serve as the foundation, walls, and ceiling of the house, blending in as part of the beautiful natural landscape.Desktop Version
Happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day!
Across the United States on July 4, we celebrate the adoption on this day in 1776 of the Declaration of Independence, one of the best break-up letters ever written. In this pronouncement, the Second Continental Congress put Great Britain on notice that the 13 American Colonies were no longer subject to its rules or rulers and were forming a new country, the United States of America. Declaration signers, recognizing the importance of the moment and the message, anticipated that generations later, we would remember and celebrate "from one end of this continent to the other." The celebration we"re looking at here is at the National Mall in Washington, DC, with fireworks rising above the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, and reflected on the Potomac River.Desktop Version
Social climbing
Social climbing
March 2019 saw the opening of a structure called "Vessel" that overlooks the Hudson River in New York. "Vessel" is a 16-story, honeycomb-looking staircase that’s meant to be climbed. Its 154 flights of stairs are interconnected, much like Indian stepwells, which lent inspiration to designer Thomas Heatherwick. Not to worry. For those who would rather skip the 2,500 steps, they can reach the top via elevator.Desktop Version
Longer days mean warmer sand
Longer days mean warmer sand
Today we’re hitting the beach in Costa Rica’s Cahuita National Park because, well, just take a look at this place. If the sun gets too intense, we might take a stroll into the park’s lowland wet forest where, if we’re lucky, we’ll see sloths, toucans, and howler and capuchin monkeys; or maybe we’ll encounter armadillos, coatis, iguanas, and tamanduas (anteaters). After that, we’ll take a dip in the Caribbean waters offshore to marvel at coral reefs, sea turtles, and hundreds of species of fish.Desktop Version
Manatee Appreciation Day
Manatee Appreciation Day
Today is Manatee Appreciation Day and, given their sweet and friendly nature, it"s hard not to love them. These gentle giants slowly graze through rivers and coastal waters for up to seven hours a day, eating seagrasses and other aquatic plants. They do have teeth, but fear not, they are flat molars used for grinding up vegetation.Desktop Version
It s International Jazz Day
It s International Jazz Day
We’re joining the rest of the world in celebrating International Jazz Day with this 1959 image of the legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong. Jazz music has its roots in Armstrong’s hometown of New Orleans, but it quickly spread throughout the United States before developing an international appeal and influence. April 30 is designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as International Jazz Day to highlight the music and its role in cultures around the world.Desktop Version
The long and wiggling path
The long and wiggling path
In 1926, Walter Ruesch, the first superintendent of Zion National Park in Utah, oversaw the construction of this section of the Angels Landing Trail, one of the park"s most ambitious trails. Although he had no previous engineering experience, Ruesch planned the steep 21-switchback path out of Refrigerator Canyon up to Angels Landing. The section of the trail, now affectionately called Walter’s Wiggles, was first built to enable horses" access to Cabin Spring. One of the most difficult and dangerous sections of the Angels Landing Trail, Walter"s Wiggles was resurfaced in 1985 in a project that required 258 helicopter flights to haul in concrete for the job.Desktop Version
Climb a tree for wild animals and plants
Climb a tree for wild animals and plants
Today is World Wildlife Day, the annual United Nations celebration of the incredible diversity of our planet"s wild animals and plants. The theme of this year"s WWD is "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet." Through a series of virtual events, and a panel at UN headquarters, UN representatives and partner wildlife groups will examine the links between the state of our planet"s forests and woodlands and efforts to preserve the millions of livelihoods that directly depend on them. A particular emphasis will be placed on the role of Indigenous peoples who still live and work in forested areas, how they"ve successfully managed their forest ecosystems for centuries, and what that can teach us about sustainability.Desktop Version
Dog days of summer
Dog days of summer
The weather is warmer, and the days are longer, which can only mean one thing—the dog days of summer have arrived. These Cape foxes are helping us celebrate the dog days with their frolicking in the Kalahari Desert. They may not be the kind of "dogs" you typically think of, but Cape foxes are from the same family (Canidae) as the pooches you know and love. Partly to escape the heat in the desert scrubland it prefers, the Cape fox is most active just before dawn or after dusk, commonly spotted during the early mornings and early evenings.Desktop Version
Antarctica Day
Antarctica Day
At just over 600 miles from the tip of South America, Cuverville Island is closer to civilization than most of Antarctica. As such, this small isle off the northward-jutting Antarctic Peninsula is a hotspot for tourists to catch some cool scenery (while freezing their butts off, of course). Visitors can also chill on the rocky beach with the locals: a glut of gentoo penguins whose rookery here is the largest along the peninsula.Desktop Version