2024年12月 - 星空迷

两只原驼, 托雷斯德尔帕恩国家公园 , 智利 Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile (© Floris van Breugel/NPL/Minden Pictures)

态度和高度 Attitude and altitude

原驼, 托雷斯德尔帕恩国家公园 , 智利

原驼是南美洲的本土动物，主要分布在美洲大陆中西部一带，大多栖息在秘鲁与玻利维亚交界的安第斯山脉。原驼生性机警敏捷，喜欢成群外出觅食，性格相对温顺。

原驼是一种体型优雅修长的动物，肩高1.0至1.3米，体长2.1至2.2米，体重90至140公斤。它们的体色变化很小，背上没有驼峰，大多数身上披满红褐色的毛，内层的绒毛为白色。与原驼同属的其他朋友还有：骆驼、骆驼、羊驼等。

Llama Day

Prick up your ears and crane your neck—it's National Llama Day. Part of a family that includes camels, alpacas, and guanacos, llamas have long been domesticated in South America because of their hardiness and ability to thrive on the bleak vegetation in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes. At up to 6 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds, they were used primarily as pack animals for about 6,500 years. They were also bred as a source of food, hides, tallow for candles, dung for fuel, and fabric. While inferior to alpaca and guanaco wool, llama fleece is soft, warm, durable, and fairly lightweight. It's used for clothing, rugs, and rope.

Unlike their wild guanaco cousins, seen in today's image in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, llamas have been popular on farms across the US since the 1980s. Llamas are surprisingly clean, smart, and loyal companions that can even be trained as therapy animals. Their gentle nature has made them popular at petting zoos and farms, and unlike their camel cousins, they rarely spit at humans. They're also good guard animals that will charge at predators and scream at intruders. With a population of almost 30,000 in the country, Americans have clearly fallen in love with llamas.

巴黎圣母院，巴黎，法国 Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, France (© Julien Fromentin/Getty Images)

巴黎圣母院再度回归 The comeback of Notre-Dame

巴黎圣母院重新开放

巴黎市中心矗立着这座城市最永恒的标志之一：巴黎圣母院大教堂。圣母大教堂建于12至13世纪，位于塞纳河中的西岱岛上，见证了法国几个世纪的历史，从百年战争到法国大革命，甚至更久。虽然拿破仑在1804年选择了这里作为他加冕称帝的场所，但到了19世纪初，大教堂已经年久失修。直至一部小说改变了它的命运：维克多·雨果的《巴黎圣母院的钟楼怪人》。这本书的畅销促进了大教堂的修复工程，使其重现昔日的美丽。

2019年4月，一场悲剧发生了——巴黎圣母院屋顶起火。大火被扑灭时，大教堂的木质尖塔和大部分屋顶已被烧毁，建筑顶部的墙壁也遭到了大面积破坏。在过去的五年里，重建修复工作一直在进行，今天，圣母院将重新向公众开放，游客们终于得以再次领略这座美丽大教堂的中世纪威严了。

Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens

In the heart of Paris stands one of the city's most enduring icons: Notre-Dame Cathedral. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries on the Île de la Cité—an island in the Seine—Notre-Dame has witnessed centuries of French history, from the Hundred Years' War to the French Revolution, and beyond. Although it was chosen by Napoleon as the site of his coronation as emperor in 1804, by the early 19th century, the cathedral was in a state of disrepair. However, one novel changed its fortunes: 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame' by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The popularity of this book helped encourage a restoration project that renewed the cathedral's former beauty.

In April 2019, tragedy struck—a fire broke out in the roof space of Notre-Dame. By the time the blaze was extinguished, the cathedral's wooden spire had been destroyed, along with most of the roof, and there was extensive damage to the tops of the building's walls. Reconstruction efforts have been underway over the last five years , and today, Notre-Dame will reopen to the public. Finally, visitors will once again be able to marvel at the medieval majesty of this beautiful cathedral.

里约热内卢州的阿拉亚尔多卡博，巴西 Arraial do Cabo in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (© Derson Santana/Shutterstock)

自然奇观的蓝色魅力 The blue charm of a natural spectacle

阿拉亚尔多卡博，巴西

让我们一起来探索位于阿拉亚尔多卡博的蓬塔尔杜阿塔拉亚的壮丽美景！这个地点位于巴西里约热内卢，以提供该地区最美丽的景点之一而闻名，在这里可以将周围的海滩和岛屿尽收眼底。想象一下，从这个得天独厚的制高点观看日落，海天一色，美不胜收。要前往著名的庞塔尔海滩，您必须走过一个拥有着250多级台阶的标志性阶梯——阶梯上的景色和海滩本身一样令人印象深刻，透明的海水和洁白的沙滩让 “巴西加勒比海 ”的绰号名副其实。

阿拉伊阿尔港还是联合国教科文组织大西洋雨林生物圈保护区，也是珍稀植物标本的故乡。这个永久保护区因其岩石海岸而受到国家宪法的保护，同时确保其自然美景和生物多样性也能得到保护。快来探索这片世外桃源吧，将大自然的壮丽景色尽收眼底！

鸟瞰冰封的大海和悬崖上的灯塔，大连泊霞湾公园，辽宁省，中国 Colors and shapes,Aerial view of frozen sea and lighthouse on the cliff in Dalian, China (© zhengshun tang/Getty Images)

一路通往童话之路 All the way to the fairy tale world

泊霞湾，大连，辽宁省

大雪节气已至，气温显著下降、中国大部分地区已经进入了寒冷的冬季。今天带您欣赏的是中国辽宁省大连市的泊霞湾公园。冬季，尤其是大雪节气之后，北方有“千里冰封，万里雪飘”的自然景观，此时的中国北方的部分海面已经慢慢开始冰封，于泊霞湾公园附近的灯塔欣赏冰封的海面是一个既梦幻又浪漫的好地方。

泊霞湾公园总面积约1.5万平方米，创意来源于多彩的落霞，设计师在红黄蓝三原色的基础上，提炼出12种呈曲线展示的颜色进行铺装，配合15米高、名为“爱塔”的瞭望灯塔，成为大连北部海岸最受欢迎的网红打卡地之一。红白灯塔、蔚蓝天空、碧蓝海洋、橙红日落，让人仿佛置身于童话世界中，吸引了无数情侣前来打卡拍照。

莫诺湖的石灰华地层，加利福尼亚州，美国 Tufa formations on Mono Lake, California (© Susanna Patras/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

石灰华塔的崛起 The rise of tufa

加州莫诺湖上石灰岩的形成

在时间的缓慢流逝下，凝灰岩——一种多孔石灰岩，成为大自然中最壮观的地貌之一。虽然这些塔在许多地方都能找到，但今天的图片展示的是加利福尼亚州莫诺县的莫诺湖。当富含钙质的淡水从几条小溪流入湖中，与湖中的碱性水混合后，就形成了这些结构。几个世纪以来，这种相互作用导致碳酸钙堆积，在湖面上形成了石灰华塔。为了保护这些塔，加利福尼亚州议会于1981年建立了莫诺湖图法国家自然保护区。

莫诺湖是一个迷人的沙漠湖泊，湖水呈弱碱性，没有天然出口。这里的生态系统欣欣向荣，生活着数十亿只盐水虾和碱蝇。这些小生物是加利福尼亚海鸥和黑颈䴙䴘等各种候鸟必不可少的零嘴。太平洋航道是鸟类从阿拉斯加一直飞往巴塔哥尼亚的主要迁徙路线，而莫诺湖作为食物供应地，是航道上一个极为重要的中转站。

Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California

Shaped by the slow passage of time, tufa—a type of porous limestone—emerges as one of nature's most spectacular formations. While these towers can be found in many places, today's image shows some at Mono Lake in Mono County, California. These structures develop when calcium-rich fresh water, percolating up through springs and vents, mixes with carbonate in the lake. Over centuries, this interaction caused calcium carbonate to build up, forming tufa spires above the lake's surface. To preserve the tufa towers, the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was established in 1981.

Mono Lake is a fascinating desert lake with hypersaline and alkaline waters and no natural outlet. It supports a thriving ecosystem teeming with billions of brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures are essential snacks for a variety of migratory birds, like California gulls and eared grebes. As a food source, Mono Lake is a critical pit stop along the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route for birds journeying from Alaska all the way south to Patagonia.

Sattais Katcheri，琥珀堡，拉贾斯坦邦，印度 Sattais Katcheri (Court of 27 pillars), Amber Fort, Rajasthan, India (© Yury Taranik/Shutterstock)

柱式遗产 A pillared legacy

琥珀堡，安梅尔，斋浦尔，拉贾斯坦邦，印度

漫步在印度拉贾斯坦邦斋浦尔地区的街道上，你会被宏伟的宫殿和高耸的堡垒所吸引，它们塑造了该地区的景观。其中最引人注目的是琥珀堡，它坐落在距离斋浦尔主城约7英里的一座小山上。在这座堡垒华丽的城墙内有一个名为“Sattais Katcheri”的建筑，意思是“27根柱子的宫廷”，这就是今天图片中的建筑。琥珀堡建于1592年，曾是该地区统治者的居所。琥珀堡以其独特的印度神庙、拉杰普特和莫卧儿建筑风格而闻名，由淡黄色和粉红色砂岩以及白色大理石建成。这座杰作共分四层，每层都有自己的庭院。每晚的灯光音响秀将城堡的魅力展现得淋漓尽致。作为联合国教科文组织认定的世界遗产，琥珀堡可以让游客尽情探索其丰富的历史和皇家风范。

Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Grand palaces and towering forts shape the landscape of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Among the most prominent is Amber Fort, also known as Amer Fort or Amber Palace, which is perched on a small hill about 7 miles from the main city of Jaipur. Within its regal walls lies the Sattais Katcheri, which means 'court of 27 pillars,' featured in today's image. Amber Fort was built in 1592 and it served as the residence of the Maharajas, or rulers, of the area. Famous for its unique blend of Hindu, Rajput, and Mughal architectural styles, it is constructed from pale yellow and pink sandstone alongside white marble. This masterpiece is spread across four levels, each with its own courtyard. Part of the wider Hill Forts of Rajasthan UNESCO World Heritage Site, Amber Fort invites visitors to explore a rich blend of history and royalty.

保护最后一片大荒野 Protecting the last great wilderness

南极日

今天是南极日，让我们将目光聚焦在世界上最引人注目的国际协定之一的《南极条约》上。该条约于1959年由12个国家签署，将整个南极大陆指定为非军事区，特别注重促进科学研究与合作。这一天彰显了全球合作精神，提醒我们肩负起保护地球上最后一片大荒野的集体责任。

“南极洲”这个名字源于古希腊语“antarktikos”，意为北极的对面。公元前350年左右，希腊哲学家亚里士多德首次提到“南极地区”的概念。尽管提及时间很早，但直到19世纪，人类才真正看到南极洲。南极洲是地球上最寒冷、最干燥、风力最大的大陆，气温最低可达零下112华氏度。这里广袤的冰原和冰川蕴藏着全球约70%的淡水。正如图片所示的那样，南极洲的海面上遍布冰山，冰山在南大洋上漂流，随着时间的推移逐渐融化。诸如帝企鹅和阿德利企鹅等物种，以及海豹、螨虫、线虫和水熊虫等生物，都把这片冰冷的栖息地当成了它们的永久家园。

Antarctica Day

Today, Antarctica Day shines a spotlight on one of the world's most remarkable international agreements—the Antarctic Treaty. Signed in 1959 by 12 nations, this treaty designated the entire continent as a demilitarized zone, with a special focus on promoting scientific research and collaboration.. This day honors the spirit of global cooperation, reminding us of the collective responsibility to protect the planet's last great wilderness.

The name 'Antarctica' is derived from the ancient Greek word 'antarktikos,' meaning opposite the Arctic. The concept of an 'Antarctic region' was first mentioned by Greek philosopher Aristotle around 350 BCE but it wasn't discovered until the 19th century. It is the coldest, driest, and windiest of the Earth's continents, with temperatures plunging as low as -112 degrees Fahrenheit. Vast ice sheets and glaciers found here hold about 70% of the world's fresh water. The waters are dotted with icebergs, as seen in today's image, which drift across the Southern Ocean and melt over time. Species like emperor and Adélie penguins, along with seals, mites, roundworms, and microscopic eight-legged moss piglets, call this icy habitat home.