2022年12月

新年跨年夜烟花, 悉尼悉尼海港大桥, 澳大利亚 New Year's Eve fireworks, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia (© Wendell Teodoro/Getty Images)

跨年夜新年快乐 Happy New Year's Eve from down under

迎接2023年 / 澳大利亚悉尼跨年夜

随着跨年夜在盛夏登陆，许多澳大利亚人选择乘船游览美丽的悉尼港，参加一年一度的烟花表演，以此迎接新年。悉尼海港大桥和举世闻名的悉尼歌剧院作为戏剧背景，今年的第一场烟花表演将于当地时间晚上9点举行，随后在午夜举行第二场。澳大利亚是最早进入新年的国家之一，通常有超过150万人参加悉尼的这一盛大庆祝活动。

每年公历1月1日，标志着新一年的到来，人们习惯将这一天称为“元旦”，俗称“公历年”、“阳历年”或“新历年”。在很多国家，有自己的新年，或是因习俗传统，或者是宗教性的，例如：中国春节，伊斯兰新年，泰米尔新年和犹太新年。

由于地球被划分为多个时区，所以每个时区迎来新年的时间不一，第一个迎来新年的时区，就在国际日期变更线以西，位于莱恩群岛，是基里巴斯国的一部分，时区比世界标准时间早14小时。无人居住的美国边远领土豪兰岛和贝克岛被指定位于UTC后12小时的时区内，这是地球上最后一个看到1月1日到来的地方。

New Year's Eve in Sydney, Australia

With New Year's Eve landing in midsummer, many Aussies choose to usher in the new year with a boat trip around beautiful Sydney Harbour to take in the annual fireworks display With the Sydney Harbour Bridge and world-famous Sydney Opera House as a dramatic backdrop, the first fireworks show will fire off this year at 9 pm local time, followed by a second show at midnight. Australia is one of the first nations to reach the new year, and more than 1.5 million people are typically in attendance for this spectacular celebration in Sydney.

一起迎接2023年 (© GettyImages)

和谁一起跨年？

白沙漠中的岩石，埃及 Rock formations in the White Desert, Egypt (© Anton Petrus/Getty Images)

这些雪永远不会融化 This snow will never melt

白沙漠国家公园，埃及

这是沙漠中的雪吗？其实不是。这里是埃及的白沙漠，当地丰富的白垩岩、石灰岩、石英岩以及长年累月的风化作用造就了这些白色的沙子和形状奇特的岩石，白沙漠也因此得名。游客们蜂拥而至，来欣赏这些大自然的奇观。白沙国家公园距离开罗约5小时车程，这里不仅有白沙和怪石，还有多种濒危保护动物。

White Desert National Park, Egypt

Snow, in the desert? Not quite. Today we're in Egypt's White Desert, which gets its colorful name from an abundance of chalk, limestone, and quartz rock formations that give the sand its special hue. Tourists flock to this place to see these naturally occurring structures, honed over thousands of years into unique shapes through a process known as 'differential weathering.' Located about five hours to the southwest of Cairo, White Desert National Park is a lot more than just deteriorating rocks—it's also a protected refuge for several endangered animal species.

斯托尔石山，天空之岛，苏格兰 (© Aliaume Chapelle/Tandem Stills + Motion)

天空之岛

斯托尔山，天空之岛，苏格兰

今天照片展示的是斯托尔山的老人峰，这座巨大的石峰耸立在英国最长的连续山体滑坡区之上。岛上有许多怪异而奇妙的岩石，都是由远古一次大滑坡形成的。

熔岩流、冰川和当地的气候共同造就了这幅奇幻的场景。著名的老人峰位于岛上“圣所”一域，在斯托尔山右侧，整体高约50米，与其他大型岩层相连。很久以前，熔岩流侵蚀岩层，而这块岩石逃过一劫，成了如今的老人峰。

远在几公里外，你便能享受斯托尔山的美景。但来到斯托尔山的人也将不虚此行，你可以在这里远眺拉赛岛和罗纳岛以及波特里城镇和库林丘陵的景色，还可以来一杯苏格兰纯麦威士忌。

马洛亚，瑞士 Maloja, Switzerland (© Roberto Moiola/Getty)

雪花玻璃球一般的美景 A life-sized snow globe

瑞士马洛加

在拍摄瑞士马洛加的这张照片时，如画这个词是一个轻描淡写的词。这个位于格里森州或地区的高山村庄，无疑是全世界雪球的羡慕和鼓舞！这里距离意大利边境仅几英里，这里令人难以置信的完美冬季景色激发了几个世纪以来的画家和艺术家。马约拉也位于西尔斯湖的边缘，这使得该地区成为夏季和冬季的休闲胜地。这张照片的中心是马洛加的皇冠珠宝，即比利时伯爵在1880年代建造的教堂Chiesa Bianca。如今，曾经庄严的空间被用来举办展览和音乐会。

Maloja, Switzerland

The word picturesque is an understatement when taking in this image of Maloja, Switzerland. This alpine village in the canton, or district, 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 also located on the edge of Lake Sils, which makes this area a recreational destination in both summer and winter. At the center of this 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.

格林达维克的蓝湖，冰岛 Blue Lagoon, Grindavík, Iceland (© Westend61/Getty Images)

治愈身心的“废水” The healing powers of wastewater

蓝湖水疗，格林达维克，冰 岛

坦率地说，今天这张美丽图片的来源是附近地热发电厂的废水池。虽然这听起来并不诱人，但冰岛的蓝色泻湖是该国游客最多的景点之一。诀窍是不要陷入废水的“浪费”部分。这里的水是干净的，总是在100°F左右徘徊，富含大量的二氧化硅，这正是由于工厂的工艺，使其变蓝和变硫的原因。这些矿物质和少量藻类被认为是对皮肤和整体健康非常有益的补品。

Blue Lagoon spa, Grindavík, Iceland

Let's be frank here, the origin of today's beautiful picture is a pool of wastewater from a nearby geothermal plant. While that may not sound enticing, Iceland's Blue Lagoon is one of the country's most visited attractions. The trick is to not get stuck on the 'waste' part of wastewater. The water here is clean, always hovers around 100° F, and is enriched with tons of silica—which is what makes it blue—and sulfur thanks to the plant's processes. Those minerals, along with a little algae, are believed to combine into a highly beneficial tonic for skin and overall well-being.

贝弗利·韦斯特伍德，东约克郡，英格兰 Beverley Westwood Common, East Yorkshire, England (© Les Gibbon/Alamy)

阖家欢乐的一天 Giddy family fun

Beverley Westwood Common，东约克郡，英国

我们照片中的滑雪者正在享受英国的节礼日，他们在东约克郡黑磨坊附近的贝弗利韦斯特伍德公馆（Beverley Westwood Common）裹着行囊，冲下一座小山。传统上，节礼日是圣诞节兴奋过后放松的一天。名字后面是什么？有几种说法，但最被广泛接受的说法是，这个名字来源于圣诞节后第二天向穷人赠送“盒子”（礼物）。也许我们今天都应该效仿这个例子，吃圣诞剩饭，听萦绕的颂歌。我们怎样才能给那些不幸的人一个小小的圣诞节呢？

Beverley Westwood Common, East Yorkshire, England

The sledders in our photo are enjoying Boxing Day in England, bundled up and hurtling down a hill at Beverley Westwood Common near Black Mill in East Yorkshire. Traditionally, Boxing Day is a day off to relax after the excitement of Christmas. What's behind the name? There are a few theories, but the most widely accepted one is that the name derives from the giving of 'boxes' (of gifts) to the poor the day after Christmas. Perhaps we should all follow that example today, as we eat Christmas leftovers and listen to lingering carols. How can we give a little Christmas to those who are less fortunate?

一切都很平静 All is calm

阿拉斯加阿玛咖港的圣诞节

“最后的边境”上的这个与世隔绝的小海湾是你最不可能看到圣诞树从头到脚装饰着闪闪发光的地方。阿玛咖港位于朱诺（美国为数不多的沿海州首府之一）以北约15英里处，这表明公众表达圣诞快乐的方式很少有局限性，可能包括使用小型驳船。这张照片拍摄于附近的欧内斯特·格鲁宁州历史公园，该公园以阿拉斯加州前州长的名字命名。格鲁宁在1939年至1953年领导该地区，1959年阿拉斯加成为该州的第一批美国参议员之一。在他的政治生涯结束后，他和妻子住在一间小屋里，这间小屋被作为这一历史遗迹的一部分保存下来。

Christmas in Amalga Harbor, Alaska

This isolated cove on 'the Last Frontier' is the least likely place you'd expect to find a Christmas tree decorated from head to toe with lights aglow. Amalga Harbor lies about 15 miles north of Juneau (one of the few coastal state capitals in the US) and shows that the public expression of Christmas cheer knows few limitations–and may include use of a small barge. This photograph was taken from nearby Ernest Gruening State Historical Park, which was named for the former governor of the Alaska Territory. Gruening led the territory from 1939 to 1953 before becoming one of the state's first US senators when Alaska became a state in 1959. After his political career ended, he and his wife lived in a cabin that was preserved as part of this historic site.

灯光点亮了悠闲的小镇

南极洲的巴布亚企鹅 'I've got a lot of problems with you penguins!'

南极洲的企鹅

对于外行来说，虚构节日Festivus的起源可以追溯到90年代热播剧《宋飞正传》的一集根据该剧编剧之一的真实家庭传统，Festivus在现实世界中展现了自己的生活，并为粉丝提供了一种有趣的、开玩笑的方式来庆祝节日，同时忽略了它的压力和商业性。

从今天的照片来看，南极洲的这些Gentoo企鹅似乎很了解Festivus，因为人们似乎正在参与节日的主要传统之一“哀怨之声”就Gentoo而言，他们有很多不满要发泄的情况并不罕见。无论是因为不忠而被逐出教会，还是因为邻居的巢石而嫉妒，Gentoo都可能是咸的。不过，也许这是意料之中的事，因为它们的饮食中含有大量的物质，以至于它们会从喙中漏出高浓度的盐水。

Gentoo penguins in Antarctica

For the uninitiated, the origins of the made-up holiday Festivus can be traced back to an episode of the hit '90s show, 'Seinfeld.' Based on the real family tradition of one of the show's writers, Festivus has taken on a life of its own in the real world and provides fans with a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to celebrate the holiday season while ignoring its pressures and commercialism.

And with today's photo, it appears these Gentoo penguins in Antarctica are well aware of Festivus, as one seems to be engaging in one of the holiday's main traditions—the 'Airing of Grievances.' And as far as Gentoos go, it's not uncommon for them to have plenty of grievances to air. Whether over excommunication for infidelity, or jealousy over their neighbor's nesting stones, Gentoos can be salty. Maybe that's to be expected, though, as their diets are so loaded with the stuff that they literally leak highly concentrated saline from their beaks.

星空迷