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Flocking together in the Antarctic
Flocking together in the Antarctic
These birds are a few days late for Valentine"s Day, but they look like they"re in the mood for love. Wandering albatrosses (also known as snowy albatrosses, white-winged albatrosses, or goonies) live mostly on the open ocean but come on land for mating season. A salt gland located above their nasal passages allows them to desalinate and survive drinking only salt water as they feed on small marine animals. They can float on the sea surface and glide for hours.Desktop Version
A meerkat stands alone
A meerkat stands alone
Meerkats, also called suricates, are members of the mongoose family native to the southern African plains. They live in mobs (yes, that"s what a group of meerkats is called) of 20 to 50 animals that work together and share extensive networks of underground burrows. Our friend today, photographed in Namibia, appears to be on sentry duty, which is when a meerkat stands lookout for predators as the rest of the group forages for food, such as insects, small reptiles, and other delicacies. A sentry shift usually lasts about an hour, after which another meerkat takes over and the now-relieved sentry gets to focus on filling its belly.Desktop Version
Composite image of a lunar eclipse
Composite image of a lunar eclipse
Tonight, a total lunar eclipse will be visible around many parts of the globe, but not in North America. (We’re disappointed too, but we can get through this together.) For an eclipse to qualify as ‘total’ the moon must pass through the middle of the Earth’s shadow, casting a reddish pall over the entire visible surface of the moon. Since we in the US will miss tonight’s eclipse, we’re sharing this composite photo that shows the total lunar eclipse that occurred on January 31, 2018.Desktop Version
Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse
Put on your solar glasses and turn your eyes skyward. Today, you can witness a rare celestial event—a total solar eclipse! As the moon perfectly aligns between the Earth and the sun, daylight will shift eerily to twilight. The total solar eclipse will be visible across North America, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to eastern Canada"s Newfoundland Island, for up to four and a half minutes between 10:57 AM PST and 4:47 PM ADT. It will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States since August 21, 2017, although one occurs somewhere on Earth approximately every 18 months. Astronomers study the sun"s corona, which is the outermost part of its atmosphere, its magnetic fields, and the behavior of Earth"s atmosphere during the eclipse. Keep an eye on the time today and find a good spot to put on eclipse-safe solar glasses and see the golden ring emerge.Desktop Version
A big birthday for Big Bend
A big birthday for Big Bend
Seventy-five years ago today, on June 12, 1944, Big Bend officially became a US national park. The park covers more than 800,000 acres in West Texas along the Mexico border. The vast protected area contains mountain, river, and desert ecosystems, including the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. But the ‘big’ doesn"t stop there. Big Bend is home to 1,200 species of plants, over 450 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, and 56 species of reptiles. (We"re not sure how many of those are snakes, if you"re wondering.) Because of its remote location, Big Bend also has among the darkest skies ever measured in the contiguous US. So tonight, the only light you"ll likely see is the glow from 75 birthday candles—and a few million stars.Desktop Version
Presidents hear the echo of history
Presidents hear the echo of history
On this Presidents" Day, we"re stepping back in time and behind the scenes at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. In this photograph, taken August 28, 2013, the giant marble statue of President Abraham Lincoln seems to be looking on approvingly as then-President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter walk to the stage for a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was during that march, of course, when civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of this memorial.Desktop Version
50 years of Earth Day
50 years of Earth Day
For Mother Earth"s big day, we"re shining the spotlight on a tree known as "Father of the Forest," or Te Matua Ngahere in the Maori language. This giant kauri tree lives in the Waipoua Forest of New Zealand"s North Island. At more than 1,500 years old and more than 52 feet around, it"s one of the oldest trees in New Zealand and one of the largest. It"s long been revered by the Maori, and is protected by Maori elders.Desktop Version
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Let"s explore the Taj Mahal, on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. This ivory-white marble mausoleum was commissioned in 1631 by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, to honor his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.Desktop Version
Protect your neck
Protect your neck
Happy Halloween, boos and ghouls! We hope our vampire isn"t too scary on this day designed for spooky delights. The fortress in our image is Romania"s Corvin Castle—not far from Transylvania, a real historical region in Romania. In Bram Stoker"s novel "Dracula," the ghoulish Count Dracula lives in a remote Transylvanian castle, cementing the place in popular imagination as the home of vampires.Desktop Version
In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day
In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day
Come ashore in time to celebrate Samoa’s independence today! Ruled by New Zealand since 1914, Samoans eventually came to resent colonial authority, which many considered ineffectual and oppressive. A non-violent independence movement started gaining popular support beginning in the late 1920s. By Jan 1, 1962, Samoa became the first small-island independent nation in the South Pacific. These days, Samoans celebrate their freedom today, June 1. We hope those rowers in the canoes are back in time for the party.Desktop Version
A Welsh wonder turns 70
A Welsh wonder turns 70
Here on the west coast of Great Britain, we"re enjoying views of the windswept uplands and jagged peaks that surround the small village of Capel Curig in the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Renowned for its rugged and mountainous landscape, Snowdonia is the largest national park in Wales and home to over 26,000 people and even more sheep—the wooly farm animals outnumber people 3 to 1 in Wales. About 60% of the park"s population speak Welsh, one of Europe"s oldest languages, and today they will be wishing this spectacular setting a "pen-blwydd hapus" (happy birthday) as Snowdonia celebrates its 70th anniversary.Desktop Version
Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day
Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day
The wildlife ranger in today’s homepage image is conducting a bird census in the rainforests of a rare ecosystem in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. Modern-day park rangers perform a variety of tasks in their jobs, and it can be dangerous work. A ranger in the savannahs of Africa may track and apprehend poachers, while rangers in North America might brave harsh conditions to collect valuable data about the health of our forests, waters, and the critters that inhabit those places. So today, World Ranger Day, we honor the rangers who have died or were injured in the line of duty. The important work they do helps us better understand and appreciate the wild world around us.Desktop Version
A day for the oceans
A day for the oceans
The Galápagos sea lion is found in two places in the world—its namesake locale and the Isla de la Plata just off the coast of Ecuador. The expert swimmers are often spotted playing and surfing in the waves. They"re gregarious on land, too, sometimes even grabbing a snooze on a town bench. Although a common and beloved sight in the islands, Galápagos sea lions are endangered, and their numbers are susceptible to changes in ocean temperatures, which can limit their food supply.Desktop Version
Brain coral
Brain coral
By using a long exposure and rotating the camera, a photographer highlights the spherical shape and grooved surface of a brain coral. You needn"t be a genius to guess how brain coral got its name. But you could just as easily call it "maze coral" after its labyrinthine surface. Either way, this sea organism is an apt mascot for today"s cerebral celebration: Puzzle Day!Desktop Version
The island fox’s incredible comeback
The island fox’s incredible comeback
Meet the island fox, a petite resident of California’s Channel Islands National Park and a true comeback kid. The house-cat-sized creature is endemic to the islands, meaning it’s found nowhere else on Earth. In the 1990s, scientists observed the island fox population on Santa Cruz Island had dropped to fewer than 100 animals. The decline was attributed largely to golden eagles, who moved into new territory after bald eagle populations declined and found the island foxes to be easy prey. (Golden eagles are more prodigious hunters than bald eagles.) Environmental groups launched an effort to bring back the island fox, in part by relocating golden eagles, and by 2015, the population on Santa Cruz Island had rebounded to about 1,750. That’s good news for the fox–and for the entire island ecosystem. As the eagle situation demonstrated, most things in nature are interconnected.Desktop Version
Beethoven s 250th
Beethoven s 250th
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven created melodies and harmonies we instantly recognize, even in this entertainment-saturated 21st century. Overcoming childhood abuse, hearing loss, romantic rejection, and bouts of depression and alcoholism, Beethoven channeled his stormy emotions into music that compelled audiences to viscerally feel what he felt. In the process, he helped end the regimented Classical era and usher in the Romantic period, when even the most flawed artists were sovereign.Desktop Version
A lunar lantern celebration
A lunar lantern celebration
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is a celebration of the autumn harvest observed by the Chinese and other Asian peoples. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the full moon closest to the fall equinox. Originally a plea to the gods for rains to ensure a good harvest next year, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a more secular bit of autumn fun, with children and adults gathering to give thanks, eat sweet mooncakes, and light lanterns like the hand-painted ones we"re looking at here from a previous celebration in Singapore. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival coincidentally lands on another holiday, China"s National Day.Desktop Version
Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia
Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia
It"s an easy, circular trail to the Bay Marker Lookout, but you have to make it under your own steam—sorry, no cars allowed. This is one of the five Sydney Olympic Park Markers, cone-shaped earth mounds installed for the 2000 Olympics in Australia. They are cleverly placed to look from the air like the Australian flag"s Southern Cross. From the ground, the Bay Marker gives a stunning full-360-degree view of Wentworth Common—a large grassy park—and the larger Olympic Park and stadium. You can also look over Homebush Bay (the community and the body of water) to the north. It"s a dramatic melding of urban landscape, the city skyline, the wetlands and greenery, rivers, and beaches.Desktop Version
A silent witness to history
A silent witness to history
About 25 miles southwest of Rouen, on the way to Paris, the ruins of Château Gaillard still stand over the Seine River. King Richard I commissioned the castle in 1196, when England occupied portions of modern-day France. The English and French fought for control of the castle for roughly 400 years—a span including the Hundred Years War—before Henry IV of France ordered it demolished. Today, the outer walls—called baileys—are open to the public year-round, while the inner baileys are open during summer months.Desktop Version
A crush in Lavaux
A crush in Lavaux
The "crush season," aka the grape harvest, has arrived in these picturesque Swiss vineyards. The steeply terraced vineyards of the Lavaux region along Lake Geneva"s northern shore produce grapes for some of the best wine in the country. The vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007, Lavaux is the largest contiguous vineyard region in Switzerland. It"s known for producing Chasselas wine, a light, delicate white wine that"s considered the ideal pairing with Swiss raclette cheese. Visitors enjoy hiking between the vines and wine tasting at local cellars in the villages along the lakeshore. We"ll toast to that!Desktop Version
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
Victory in Europe, 75 years ago
On May 8, 1945, thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe. This photo of the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées was taken from atop the appropriately named Arc de Triomphe, looking east toward the distant Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Victory in Europe (VE-Day) had come at last.Desktop Version
Storm rolls over the grasslands
Storm rolls over the grasslands
Today"s image of a thunderstorm moving over grasslands in Theodore Roosevelt National Park shows the power of nature and the power of conservation. In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt, then a New York State assemblyman, traveled to the North Dakota Badlands to hunt bison. During this trip, Roosevelt fell in love with the cowboy lifestyle and the freedom he experienced. Before heading back east, he became part owner of the Maltese Cross Ranch. A year later he was back in North Dakota and had built Elkhorn Ranch. Life in the West inspired Roosevelt, who began writing books and articles about it. He would go on to establish six national parks and 18 national monuments, greatly increasing the size of the National Park System.Desktop Version
Let’s celebrate
Let’s celebrate
The citizens of Morton, Minnesota, are probably doing a repeat performance of this pyrotechnic display today as they join the rest of the US in a celebration of Independence Day. If you want to blow the minds of your family and friends at the barbecue, steer the conversation toward fireworks and casually drop this truth bomb: Gunpowder, the fuel that makes the fireworks explode, was invented in ancient China by Taoist alchemists who hoped to create an immortality elixir. That’s some dramatic irony, at least in hindsight. Be safe!Desktop Version
Autumn’s swan song
Autumn’s swan song
Each fall thousands of tundra swans can be seen in the Mississippi River Valley—a migration corridor for many species of waterfowl. Birders in Minnesota may spot the tundra swans as they make their way to favored wintering grounds in coastal regions of the US. They travel in family groups of about a hundred, and if you can’t see them, you’re bound to hear them. Tundra swans are a noisy bunch—they have a high-pitched honking call and are especially vocal while foraging.Desktop Version
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, an observance created by the United Nations to draw attention to the distinct cultures of indigenous peoples and to support measures that protect their rights. This year’s theme is indigenous peoples’ migration and movement, highlighting questions of indigenous identity and rights, particularly as people migrate within and between countries.Desktop Version