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Sands of time
Sands of time
At a quick glance, you might mistake these dunes for massive snowdrifts. Although they do make for great sledding, the tiny crystals that form the dunes at White Sands National Park are not snow or ice but gypsum, a soft mineral often used to make plaster and chalk. The dune field became a national monument on this day in 1933 with a proclamation by President Herbert Hoover, which set aside nearly 150,000 acres for preservation. Recently, on December 20, 2019, President Trump signed legislation making it the 62nd designated national park in the National Park System.Desktop Version
Everest s shadow on the Himalayas
Everest s shadow on the Himalayas
In honor of International Mountain Day, breathe as much of that sweet, crisp mountain air as you can. See the shadow stretching past the Himalayas" craggy skyline? It"s cast by Mount Everest, the tallest peak of them all, rising to 29,032 feet above sea level.Desktop Version
A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
Tigers once roamed a broad territory across Asia, eastern Russia, and various islands of the Indian Ocean. Over the past century, hunting and habitat loss have reduced their range by more than 90 percent and have severely diminished the massive cats’ populations. Hundreds of thousands of tigers roamed in the wild 100 years ago, but a 2016 count estimated fewer than 4,000 wild tigers remained.Desktop Version
Sequential images of a total solar eclipse
Sequential images of a total solar eclipse
Today, lucky observers in South America will see an awesome event similar to the one captured in the composite of images on our homepage. They were taken during the Great American Eclipse of 2017.Desktop Version
It s a good day to be green
It s a good day to be green
For St. Patrick"s Day, we"re featuring an image of the Knowth passage grave, part of Brú na Bóinne, or the Boyne Valley tombs, about an hour"s drive north of Dublin. In addition to Knowth, this UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Newgrange and Dowth passage graves, henges, standing stones, and a significant portion of Western Europe"s megalithic art. Knowth, the largest passage grave in the complex, is a 40-foot-high mound with a diameter of 220 feet; two east-west passages run under it that lead to separate burial chambers. The structures predate St. Patrick by nearly 4,000 years, and their original purpose is unclear—but on this day dedicated to celebrating all things Irish, they show off the engineering capabilities of the area"s ancient population as well as the natural green beauty of the Irish countryside.Desktop Version
Italy s submerged village
Italy s submerged village
A 14th-century church tower peeking above the water offers a clue to the past here at Lake Reschen, in northern Italy. Until the mid-20th century, this site in the Italian Alps was home to the village of Graun, which included some 163 homes. But then in 1939, an electric company announced plans to build a dam and an artificial lake here, which would submerge Graun and part of the town of Reschen. Despite public outcry and delays due to World War II, the towns were eventually submerged in 1950 (with everyone safely removed, of course). These days, the remaining church steeple draws tourists, especially in winter, when the lake is frozen over and visitors can walk across.Desktop Version
Ancient art in the Amazon
Ancient art in the Amazon
The stone walls of the tepuis (table-top mountains) in Chiribiquete National Natural Park are decorated with more than 75,000 paintings, some created as long as 20,000 years ago, others in the present day.The jaguar is a recurring motif in the images. Historians think the images of the big cat are expressions of jaguar worship by the indigenous tribes who have lived in the broader area for millennia. This park protects and preserves a 17,000-square-mile expanse of the Colombian Amazon, with a diverse ecosystem supporting many endemic species. In addition, officials believe that Chiribiquete could be home for various indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, the descendants of those who painted the ancient rock art. Both the human cultural history of this place and the extraordinarily pristine natural beauty of the landscape are what earned Chiribiquete UNESCO World Heritage status this year—the rare location to meet both cultural and natural criteria for inclusion on the UN’s list.Desktop Version
A seabird gets schooled
A seabird gets schooled
This deep-diving Brandt"s cormorant appears to be on the hunt for a meal, and there"s plenty of Pacific chub mackerel to choose from here off the coast of Los Angeles, California. While seabirds like the cormorant are a threat to these fish, the mackerel aren"t exactly defenseless. Fish have many unique means of defense, such as traveling in dense schools like this one. It"s a technique that not only allows for speedy travel (because it reduces friction on most of the fish in the school)—schooling also makes it more difficult for predators to pick out an individual victim. For these fish, there"s safety in numbers. But when all else fails, they can take some advice from Dory in "Finding Nemo"—"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."Desktop Version
Cloudy with a chance of enlightenment
Cloudy with a chance of enlightenment
While it didn"t become a UNESCO World Heritage Site until 2018, Buddhists have considered Mount Fanjing (also known as Fanjingshan) a sacred and tranquil site for centuries. At 8,430 feet, Mount Fanjing is the highest peak of the Wuling mountain range in southwest China"s Guizhou province. While many of the Buddhist temples built here have been destroyed, several remain, including the Temple of the Buddha and the Temple of Maitreya. Those two temples, linked by a small bridge, are located on top of Red Cloud Golden Peak, the rocky "thumb" we"re looking at here. In addition to the area"s history, the mix of clouds, fog, and light creates a calming atmosphere and an air of mystery.Desktop Version
Bringing together history and technology
Bringing together history and technology
On the second Saturday in May, the Dutch celebrate an iconic national structure—the windmill—like these historic ones at Zaanse Schans. With hundreds of windmills across the country, many sites use the day to demonstrate how windmills work and host art exhibits. But the concept of using wind power isn’t just a historical anecdote—this renewable energy is experiencing a boom, and by 2050 is predicted to provide one-third of the world"s electricity.Desktop Version
And they’re off!
And they’re off!
The route for the 2018 New York City Marathon starts right here at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, crossing from Staten Island into Brooklyn, before eventually coursing through all five boroughs of New York. This photo—taken by a camera drone—shows just how many people will be running in today’s race. Because the race starts early on a typically cold November morning, many runners show up in layered clothing. But once they heat up from running, those layers come off and are often discarded on sidewalks. Race organizers collect tons of items left behind and work with charities to donate the activewear.Desktop Version
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
Azaleas are in peak bloom during March at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens near Charleston, South Carolina. Each year a vibrant forest blooms with hundreds of native and hybrid varieties, including 15 azaleas once thought to be extinct.Desktop Version
Happy Presidents Day
Happy Presidents Day
It"s hard to imagine a more appropriate place to celebrate Presidents Day than here, at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The monument features four of our most famous presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Four hundred workers using dynamite, hammers, and chisels crafted these 60-foot-high sculptures out of the granite mountainside in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Work on the monument began in 1927 and was completed in 1941.Desktop Version
Hanging out on a limb
Hanging out on a limb
For International Red Panda Day, we"re hanging out on a tree limb with this cutie in the Chengdu Panda Base of Sichuan, China. If you spot a red panda in the wild, consider yourself lucky. Not only will you have to travel far (they live in the mountain forests of Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and India), but there are fewer than 10,000 wild red pandas, and they"re rather elusive, hanging out up in trees. They also spend more than half their day asleep, conserving energy for—you guessed it—eating bamboo leaves. They spend a whopping 13 hours a day eating.Desktop Version
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
We’re in London’s West End for Boxing Day, a holiday that originated in the UK. It’s said the event takes its name from the historic practice of employers giving their servants and tradespeople boxes of gifts on the day after Christmas (since the servants had to work on Christmas Day). These days, the holiday shopping deals rival those on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, particularly in the UK, Australia, and Canada, but increasingly in other countries as well. Are you celebrating Boxing Day?Desktop Version
Happy Arbor Day!
Happy Arbor Day!
A Chinese proverb advises, ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.’ That’s especially true today. It’s National Arbor Day in the US and we’re featuring this dramatic photo of coast redwoods to remind you of the incredible power and importance of trees. The very first recorded Arbor Day took place in 1594 in the little village of Mondoñedo in Spain, organized by its mayor. The first US Arbor Day was observed in Nebraska City, Nebraska, on April 10, 1872. It was organized by journalist and politician Julius Sterling Morton, who’d moved to Nebraska from Michigan, and called his adopted state a ‘treeless prairie.’ He rallied celebrants at that first US Arbor Day to plant an estimated 1 million trees.Desktop Version
A place fit for the gods
A place fit for the gods
Perhaps it was inevitable that this park on the western edge of Colorado Springs was named Garden of the Gods. One of the surveyors who established the city was so struck by the beauty of the rock formations here that he thought it a suitable setting for the gods to assemble, and so lent the spot its name. But the native Ute people also have divine associations with the area, which their creation myth names as the place where all life began. Today, it’s a popular public park and National Natural Landmark. Because it’s within the city limits, locals and visitors alike can get a heaping dose of nature without having to travel far from civilization. If you stroll by any of the rock formations here, you’re likely to see a climber or two scaling the red and pink sandstone walls—or ‘fins’—that give the park its distinct look.Desktop Version
Evidence of human habitation
Evidence of human habitation
Our photo today has been digitally altered by NASA’s Earth Observatory team to remove natural light. Doing so reveals just how much artificial light human settlements generate. We share this image to draw attention to the observance of World Population Day today. The event was inspired by the Day of Five Billion on July 11, 1987, when the United Nations estimates our global population reached that milestone. Each year, World Population Day encourages us to think about how our growing numbers might affect our future, and the future of the planet we live on.Desktop Version
The story of a rediscovered redwood
The story of a rediscovered redwood
Like most things in nature, the trees featured on today’s homepage are worth a closer look. This species, known as the dawn redwood, was thought for hundreds of years to be extinct. Unlike other redwood trees (picture the towering evergreen giants that grow on California’s coast), this redwood is deciduous; in the fall its needles turn a brilliant orange, and then fall to the ground. Fossils of the species are common in the Northern Hemisphere, but there was no known evidence that it existed after the Miocene Epoch, which ended more than 5 million years ago. The tree was thought to have been long extinct until 1944, when a giant dawn redwood was discovered in south central China. More were found in surrounding lowlands, and today the tree is a popular ornamental in many parts of the world. The trees in our image, from Zhongshan, China, are standing in a shallow lake, which reflects the blue sky above.Desktop Version
In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
It’s not too late to visit a pumpkin patch like the one in our homepage image and pick an orange orb to carve up this Halloween. Or, if you’re like a certain Peanuts character, you still have time to search for the Great Pumpkin. Linus’ quest to glimpse this unseen character is of course featured in ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,’ the animated Halloween special that first premiered in 1966. Linus believed the Great Pumpkin delivered toys to children on Halloween night. Some have interpreted the Great Pumpkin as a symbol of faith, and others see Linus’ quest to see the Great Pumpkin as a metaphor for humankind’s existential crisis. Whatever the case, the film is a classic and worth rewatching.Desktop Version
We stand with Ukraine
We stand with Ukraine
Ukraine grows so many sunflowers they"ve become regarded as the country"s national flower—and recently, as a symbol of resistance. Just like sunflowers standing tall against a blue sky, the people of Ukraine are holding strong while an unlawful invasion threatens their democracy. As Ukrainians battle for their nation"s existence, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes to an uncertain future.Desktop Version
Wandering Watkins Glen
Wandering Watkins Glen
When we talk about celebrating public lands, the images that pop into our heads are generally icons of the famous national parks out West. Old Faithful, El Capitan, the Arches. Our photo for National Public Lands Day highlights the relatively unsung beauty of the more than 10,000 state parks dotting the nation from coast to coast.Desktop Version
Hello, harbinger of spring
Hello, harbinger of spring
Welcome back, little mountain bluebird. Although this bright fellow may be enduring the last of this year"s snow in Yellowstone National Park, his presence means winter will soon be ending. The bluebird is a symbol of happiness and a welcome sign of spring in many cultures. Soon other migratory birds will arrive in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—an 18-million-acre tract that includes Grand Teton National Park and surrounding national forests. It"s the world"s largest intact ecosystem in the northern temperate zone. What exactly does that mean? Since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone 25 years ago, all the animal species that were first documented by European explorers can still be found here.Desktop Version
The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
Welcome to Acadia National Park on Maine"s rocky, scenic coast. The 49,075-acre park covers about half of Mount Desert Island, smaller nearby islands, and a section on the mainland. The oldest national park east of the Mississippi River and the only one in Maine, Acadia packs a lot of geographical variety into its relatively small size. You"ll find miles of craggy coastline like the shore in our homepage image, woodlands, wetlands, and mountains. The park"s Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and a great spot to take in the sunrise.Desktop Version
Marine Day in Japan
Marine Day in Japan
In Japan, the third Monday in July is Marine Day (also known as Ocean Day), a day to show appreciation for the seas and oceans. Other nationalities have similar observances, but as inhabitants of an island nation, people in Japan can claim a particularly strong connection to the waters that surround them. The modern holiday also serves as an official start of summer in Japan, and many folks hit the beach to celebrate the end of tsuyu, the rainy season. The holiday started as Marine Memorial Day in 1941 to mark the anniversary of the return of the Meji Emperor from a voyage in 1876, but it wasn"t observed as a national holiday until 1996. Some also mark Marine Day with environmentally friendly activities. In Okinawa, people throw EM (effective microorganism) mudballs into the sea—these contain bacteria and yeast targeted at eliminating sludge and slime. Other areas host beach cleanups and aquariums host special Marine Day events.Desktop Version