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Dec 17, 2019When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia

We"re looking at the Temple of Saturn, one of the oldest structures of the Forum in Rome. It was here that ancient Romans began their celebrations of Saturnalia, which started on December 17. Both the temple and the festival are dedicated to the agricultural god Saturn, whose reign was associated with a golden age of prosperity and peace. Saturnalia festivities kicked off with a sacrifice at the temple, followed by a public banquet and a week of general merrymaking. Activities included gambling, eating, drinking, and playing music. Businesses and schools closed, and even slaves were free from work and allowed to participate in the festivities. Many Saturnalia customs evolved into Christmas traditions, such as gift giving, decorating homes with wreaths, and drinking spiced wine.Desktop Version

Jul 7, 2020Mercury in retrograde

Today we"re traveling to outer space to catch a glimpse of the Caloris Basin on the planet Mercury. This small planet—about the size of Earth"s moon—is riddled with craters, but none as spectacular as the Caloris Basin. One of the largest impact craters in the solar system, Caloris is about 950 miles across and ringed by mile-high mountains.Desktop Version

Jul 9, 2020High alpine color in Colorado

Songstress Dolly Parton once sang "wildflowers don"t care where they grow," but we gotta believe the wildflowers growing in Colorado"s American Basin, shown here, are pretty delighted with their surroundings. American Basin is in the San Juan Mountains in the southern part of the state, about a five-hour drive from Denver. Visitors here will find rocky cliffs, streams, unique rock formations, and some spectacular wildflowers. July and August are the best months to see the blooms—it"s the time of year when you"ll reliably spot the Rocky Mountain columbine (Colorado"s state flower), elephant"s head, Parry"s primrose, and marsh marigold. Bring us back a bouquet, all right?Desktop Version

May 26, 2018Honoring the first American woman in space

This far-out image of the Sahara Desert was photographed from space via the Sally Ride EarthKAM, a camera aboard the International Space Station. The EarthKAM is programmed remotely by middle school students as part of an educational program established by Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel to space. Ride’s first trip to space was in 1983. On May 26, her birthday, we remember her legacy.Desktop Version

Mar 12, 2020Fiesta at Siesta

Here we are in mid-March already, the time of year when college-age revelers invade the world"s beaches, like this one on Florida"s Siesta Key. Located in Sarasota County off the state"s western shore, the island beach is a fixture on lists of America"s top beaches, a standout even in a state where soft, welcoming sands compose over half the 1,200-mile coastline.Desktop Version

Sep 5, 2019A lush, green escape

With the tourist season winding down and the rainy season still forthcoming, September is an ideal time to visit Bali. If you’re lucky enough to go, plan a day trip to the Tegallalang farming terraces in Ubud, where visitors can capture gorgeous photos of the landscape and get an unforgettable glimpse into Balinese culture. The island of Bali has a rich tradition of agriculture, with an especially unique method of water management for rice farming. The irrigation system here, known as Subak, is recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance. Water flows through temples and into the rice paddies, carved into the hillsides like steps. It"s a practice that dates back thousands of years, based on the Balinese philosophical principle of Tri Hita Karana, which refers to a relationship between humans, the Earth, and the gods.Desktop Version

Jul 26, 2018Exploring the wilder side of New York

New York State isn’t all skyscrapers and teeming crowds. The Empire State is home to a diverse geography, including some wild places that were around back on July 26, 1788, when New York officially joined the Union. In honor of New York’s statehood day, we’re at Letchworth State Park, a wilderness near Rochester that follows the Genesee River some 17 miles through a deep gorge that’s known as the "Grand Canyon of the East."Desktop Version

Dec 21, 2019Seventeen arches at sunset

When it"s winter solstice time in the Northern Hemisphere, the setting sun shines under the Seventeen-Arch Bridge at the Summer Palace in Beijing, causing this romantic glow. In the 18th century, during the Qing dynasty of China, the Qianlong Emperor ordered the construction of this collection of gardens, lakes, and various structures, including temples and small palaces. These days, it"s one of Beijing"s premier attractions and sure to be crowded this time of year, with visitors headed to the bridge in time for sunset.Desktop Version

Jan 3, 2022Lick Observatory

Shrouded in snow on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, lies the world"s first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. Constructed between 1876 and 1887, the Lick Observatory has been the site of significant discoveries, including several of Jupiter"s moons and other planetary systems. It"s named for American real-estate entrepreneur James Lick, who set aside $700,000 for the University of California to build a facility that would be home to a "telescope superior to and more powerful than any telescope yet made."Desktop Version

Jul 13, 2020Welcome to the Hoh

Don"t let this sunny picture fool you. The Hoh, a temperate rainforest on the western side of Olympic National Park in Washington state, sees between 12 and 14 feet of rain each year, making it one of the wettest places in the continental US. But all that moisture creates a lush, even mystical environment. The forest features a mix of conifers and deciduous trees draped heavily with moss, like the arching big leaf maple in our homepage image. A stroll through the forest will also reveal the massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees that may reach more than 300 feet up into the dense canopy. Below, the woods teem with ferns, lichen, and other vegetation. It"s an enchanted forest right out of a fairy tale.Desktop Version

Oct 10, 2019A star blows a bubble

This giant space bubble is being blown by a massive star visible at the 10 o"clock position inside it. Already over 7 light-years across and expanding at a rate of over 4 million mph, the "bubble" is actually the shock wave created when expanding hot gas (or stellar wind) hits the cold, interstellar gas that surrounds it. The Bubble Nebula was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel. The star inside is living fast and will die young (for a star)—it will likely detonate as a supernova in only 10 to 20 million years. This image was taken in 2016 by the Hubble Space Telescope to mark the 26th anniversary of Hubble"s launch into Earth orbit by the STS-31 space shuttle crew. We"re showing it to mark the last day of World Space Week, an annual "international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition."Desktop Version

May 28, 2018Honoring the fallen

We’re here at Arlington National Cemetery with the ‘Old Guard,’ the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment and oldest active-duty regiment in the US Army. Each year before Memorial Day, as part of a ceremony known as ‘Flags In,’ members of the Old Guard place an American flag in front of each headstone at Arlington. Within four hours, more than 228,000 flags are placed at the headstones and thousands more at various memorials.Desktop Version

Mar 12, 2021Ringing in the new year at Teotihuacan

If the Aztecs had hot air balloons, they may well have greeted the new year like this—floating above the massive Pyramid of the Sun at sunrise today, the first day of the year according to the Aztec calendar. Also known as Yancuic Xihuitl, the Aztec New Year is still celebrated by some Indigenous Nahua communities here in central Mexico with songs, dances, and the flames of "ocote" (pitch pine) candles. Dancers wear colorful traditional costumes topped by quetzal feather headdresses, and celebrants greet the new year by making loud noises with seashells, just as Aztecs did centuries ago. It"s one of the many expressions of pre-Columbian tradition that managed to survive the Spanish conquest and modern erosion of Indigenous customs.Desktop Version

Sep 16, 2020It s Independence Day in Mexico

In honor of today"s Independence Day holiday in Mexico, our homepage image comes from the state of Guanajuato—where the country"s battle for independence first began. The conflict started with the "Cry of Dolores," an event on September 16, 1810, when priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bell in the nearby town of Dolores and called for a revolt to free Mexico from Spanish control. His call to arms triggered the formation of an insurgency that marched onward to San Miguel and then to the city of Guanajuato (shown in this image). The ensuing conflict spanned more than a decade, culminating with Mexico finally breaking free from Spanish rule in 1821.Desktop Version

Jan 28, 2020US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years

In recognition of the modern US Coast Guard, formed on this day in 1915, we"re featuring the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, one of many lighthouses managed by the USCG. How did Cape Disappointment get its name? A British fur trader in 1788 mistook the mouth of the Columbia River for a bay and was disappointed because his ship couldn"t pass due to the river"s shallow bar. Many ships would eventually sink in these dangerous waters, but this lighthouse has warned off countless others since it was lit in 1856, making it the first lighthouse in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the lighthouses in the US have been built and maintained by the US Coast Guard and its predecessors.Desktop Version

Dec 18, 2019It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!

The streets of this market square are all decked out in a tradition born nearly 700 years ago. Weihnachtsmarkte or Christkindlmarkte (Christmas markets, if you prefer less of a mouthful), take place around the world, but they originated in Germany as a celebratory way to observe Advent, the Christian season leading up to Christmas Eve. These markets are generally open-air affairs where everything is decorated, including the trees (called Tannenbaums in German if they"re firs). People shop from local artisans who sell their handmade wares in small wooden chalets. Then it"s off to eat traditional foods—roasted almonds, pastries, and biscuits—and sip on warm mulled wine.Desktop Version

Dec 21, 2020Shadows on the solstice

Roughly 5,000 years ago, ancient inhabitants of the British Isles somehow dragged as many as 40 giant stones—the heaviest weighing an estimated 16 tons—onto this grassy plateau in what is now England"s Lake District National Park in Cumbria. They then grouped them into the stone circle at Castlerigg, seen here casting shadows from the low winter sun. Archeologists believe stone circles were arranged to align with solar and lunar positions. They were used in elaborate rituals to celebrate occasions like today"s winter solstice, the shortest day (and longest night) of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.Desktop Version

Apr 22, 2021Gazing down on planet Earth

It"s Earth Day today and we are high above the blue marble looking down on the border between Arkansas and Mississippi. Those small, blocky shapes are towns, fields, and pastures, and the teal green is the mighty Mississippi River. Anyone who has flown in the window seat of an airplane and gazed down at Earth below might wonder why the colors in this image look so unreal. That"s because they are. This image was taken in 2013 by Landsat 7, a NASA satellite that uses thermal infrared sensors to help scientists better distinguish flora, fauna, water, and manmade objects. For almost 50 years, NASA has been using satellite imagery to understand how climate change and population growth are affecting our fragile planet. These satellites help NASA see where deforestation and wildfires are happening, where glaciers are melting, and how rising waters are encroaching on cities.Desktop Version

Mar 17, 2021An emerald isle of the Emerald Isle

If you were to find yourself wandering across the tiny island of Inisheer on March 17, you"d almost certainly hear someone greet you with a hearty "Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!" That"s because nearly all the island"s 260 residents would want to wish you a happy Saint Patrick"s Day in their native Irish tongue. The smallest of the three Aran Islands that are strung across the mouth of Galway Bay in western Ireland, Inisheer has been inhabited from prehistory—artifacts from as early as the Bronze Age have been found scattered around its 1,400 acres. The tiny drystone wall subdivisions of the fields are a result of a long tradition of splitting family farms between all the children. After a few generations, farms were reduced to the garden-size patches you can see here.Desktop Version

Mar 29, 2018It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball

Our photo today shows a late September home game for the Oakland Athletics, going up against the Texas Rangers near the end of the 2017 Major League Baseball season. A new Major League season begins today, and this year marks the earliest Opening Day for MLB in the history of the organization. To top that, every team in the league is scheduled to play today—something that hasn’t happened on Opening Day since 1968. Which team do you root for?Desktop Version

Dec 28, 2022Maloja, Switzerland

The word "picturesque" is an understatement when taking in today"s image of Maloja, Switzerland. This Alpine village in the canton of Grisons is surely the envy and inspiration of snow globes the world over! Located just a few miles from the Italian border, the impossibly perfect winter scenes found here have inspired painters and artists for centuries. Majola is near Lake Sils, which makes this area a recreational destination in both summer and winter. At the center of our image is the crown jewel of Maloja, the Chiesa Bianca, a church built in the 1880s by a Belgian count. Today, the once solemn space is used to stage exhibitions and concerts.Desktop Version

Apr 27, 2020That s quite a schnoz, baby tapir

For World Tapir Day, we"re bringing you nose-to-nose with a baby South American tapir. The creamy stripes and dashes on its coat help keep this endangered calf camouflaged under the filtered light of the Amazon tree canopy. It may look small now, but mature tapirs are the largest native mammals in South America. About that nose: Tapirs use their prehensile nose trunk to grab plants and berries. And if they submerge under the surface of the water, some even use it as a snorkel.Desktop Version

Jan 11, 2020Who s wearing such cute hats?

The stone figures lining the steps in today"s photo are among 500 rakan statues on the small island of Miyajima in Japan. The colorful knitted caps they"re wearing are offerings from people visiting the island, a tradition followed in other areas of Japan as well. Some believe this gift-giving is based on a children"s folk story of an elderly hatmaker who was unable to make it to market on a snowy day, so he placed his collection of hats on rakan statues to keep their bare heads dry. Later, the statues showed their appreciation by delivering gifts to the hatmaker and his wife so they could celebrate the new year properly. The statues in this photo were individually carved sometime between the 1780s to the 1820s, and no two are alike. They line the path at the base of Mount Misen that leads to the Daisho-in Temple, one of the many temples and shrines on the island.Desktop Version

Apr 29, 2019New beginnings

Spring means more than just April showers and May flowers. It"s also the season when many baby animals are born. The rainy, warmer days bring new plant growth, which means nursing and foraging moms can provide their newborns with larger amounts of higher-quality food. It also maximizes the "growing season" for spring babies, giving them time to increase in size and put on fat before winter arrives.Desktop Version

Jul 3, 2018To the 155th on the 155th

There are multiple monuments to the people who fought and died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Our photo shows the statue erected to honor the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry, a volunteer regiment that joined up with the Army of the Potomac, which was led by Union General George Meade. And 155 years ago today, the Confederate forces began to retreat to Virginia after three days of vicious combat. With total casualties on both sides of roughly 50,000 lives, the Battle of Gettysburg remains the most costly conflict in US history in terms of lives lost.Desktop Version

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