2025年1月 - 星空迷

被水淹没的地下室，圣弗朗西斯大教堂，拉文纳，意大利 Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy (© Andrea Pucci/Getty Images)

神圣的深渊 Divine depths

被水淹没的地下室，圣弗朗西斯大教堂，拉文纳，意大利

在意大利拉文纳市，有一座圣弗朗西斯大教堂，以其美丽和历史意义而闻名。这座罗马式教堂始建于公元450年，在9世纪时又加建了一座坚固的方形钟楼，使教堂的外观更加突出。教堂设计有三座中殿，由两排各12根圆柱分隔。而今日图片中的圣弗朗西斯大教堂最引人注目的部分是地下墓穴。这座墓穴是早期宗教设计的杰出典范，拥有向下倾斜的拱形天花板和排列整齐的石柱。地面铺设的地砖镶嵌着精美复杂的马赛克图案，至今仍然保存完好，堪称艺术杰作。

拉文纳建在松软的沼泽地上，由于城市逐渐下沉，拉文纳面临着持续的结构性挑战，这在墓穴中尤为显著，如今墓穴常年淹没在约一英尺深的水中。然而，拉文纳并未对抗洪水而是选择接受它，在水池中放养了金鱼，金鱼在古老的石柱间和淹没的马赛克地砖上方游动。游客们常向水中投掷硬币祈求好运，使这座墓穴更像是一口许愿池，而非传统的埋葬之地。

Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy

In the Italian province of Ravenna lies the Basilica of San Francesco, recognized for its beauty and historical significance. This Romanesque church, originally built in 450, features a sturdy square bell tower added in the 9th century, enhancing the basilica's exterior. Its design features three naves, divided by two rows of 12 columns each. Featured in today's image is the basilica's real showstopper: The basement crypt, or burial chamber, is a stunning model of early religious design. Complete with vaulted ceilings that slope down into rows of stone columns, its floor is a work of art itself. It's inlaid with beautifully intricate mosaic tiles that have withstood the test of time.

Built on soft marshland, Ravenna faces ongoing structural challenges because the entire city is gradually sinking. This is particularly evident in the crypt, which now remains perpetually submerged under about a foot of water. But instead of battling the slow flood, the basilica has embraced it, filling the pool with goldfish that glide between the ancient columns and above the submerged mosaics. Visitors often toss coins into the water, making the crypt more of a wishing well than a burial site.

归春河上的板约-德天瀑布，中国与越南边境 Bản Giốc–Detian Falls on the Quây Sơn River, Vietnam (© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures)

边境天堂 A borderline paradise

板约-德天瀑布，中国与越南边境

欢迎来到河流与边界线交汇的绝美之地：板约-德天瀑布。今日图片展示的正是这幅美景。该瀑布位于中国广西壮族自治区大新县与越南高平省重庆县之间的喀斯特地貌山丘区，沿着归春河流下。瀑布高达95英尺，宽980英尺，是越南最宽的瀑布，距离河内169英里。多年来，板约瀑布的顶端因侵蚀而缓慢向上游延伸。一年中的大部分时间里，它们以两个独立的瀑布流淌，但到了夏季，当雨水使河水上涨时，它们会汇合成一个巨大的瀑布。

尽管道路得以改善，公共交通更加便利，无人机视频也展示了瀑布的壮丽美景，但板约瀑布依然保留着原始与静谧的一面。大规模旅游尚未波及这里，因此在大多数工作日，您只会遇到寥寥无几的游客、当地居民，以及瀑布奔涌的声音。

Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, Vietnam

Welcome to a spot where rivers meet international borders in the most stunning way: the Bản Giốc – Detian Falls, featured in today's image. Tucked between the karst hills of China's Daxin County and Trùng Khánh district in Vietnam, these falls tumble along the Quây Sơn River about 170 miles north of Hanoi. For most of the year, they flow as two distinct cascades, but come summer, when the rains swell the river, they merge into one big fall. At over 95 feet tall and 980 feet wide, Bản Giốc holds the distinction of being the widest waterfall in Vietnam.

Even with better roads, easier public transport, and drone videos showing off the jaw-dropping beauty of the falls, Bản Giốc remains refreshingly off the beaten path. Mass tourism hasn't caught up yet, and on most weekdays, you'll find only a handful of visitors—just you, the locals, and the sound of cascading water.

英国拉德克里夫图书馆和万灵学院，牛津大学，英格兰 The Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England (© atiger/Shutterstock)

尽享欢乐时光 Ring in the fun

J.R.R.托尔金生日快乐！

“冒险是否会有尽头？我想不会吧，因为总有人要继续讲述这个故事。” 今天是托尔金日，全球的读者们共同纪念这位创造了中土世界史诗冒险故事的大师：托尔金。托尔金可能是故事的开创者，但他的读者才是故事的传承者，一代又一代的读者沉浸在《霍比特人》、《指环王》等作品中。托尔金的读者们每年都会组织传统的祝酒活动庆祝托尔金的生日，在当地时间的晚上9点站起来并举起酒杯，说一声“敬教授”，然后喝一口即可。

而今日图片中展示的正是可能启发了这位文学传奇的地方。位于英国牛津大学的拉德克利夫图书馆。这座圆形穹顶建筑最初是一座科学图书馆，现在是作为博德利图书馆的阅览室使用。据说，这座18世纪的建筑是托尔金小说中努曼诺尔上祭祀魔苟斯神庙的灵感来源。虽然托尔金并未在此学习，而是埃克塞特学院的学生，但他在担任牛津大学英语语言文学教授期间，曾无数次路过这座建筑，其非凡的外观至今吸引着游客和托尔金读者们的目光。

Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!

'Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.' Today, on Tolkien Day, fans around the world honor the master storyteller who crafted the epic adventures of Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien. While Tolkien may have started the tale, it's his readers who carry it forward, generation after generation, diving into the pages of 'The Hobbit,' 'The Lord of the Rings,' and beyond. Tolkienists are encouraged to celebrate the author's birthday with a toast at 9 PM local time—to participate, all you must do is stand and raise a glass of your choice, say 'The Professor,' and take a sip.

For today's featured image, it is only fitting to visit a place that might have inspired the literary legend: the Radcliffe Camera, or Rad Cam, at the University of Oxford in England. Originally a science library, the domed, circular building now serves as a reading room for the Bodleian Library. This 18th-century building is said to be an inspiration for Sauron's temple to Morgoth on Númenor in Tolkien's fiction. Though Tolkien himself didn't study there—he was a student at Exeter College—he would have passed by the Rad Cam countless times during his years as a professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford. This building, with its extraordinary exterior, continues to captivate visitors and Tolkien enthusiasts alike.

科帕卡巴纳海滩除夕烟花, 里约热内卢, 巴西 New Year's Eve fireworks over Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (© Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

里约的午夜 Midnight in Rio

巴西里约热内卢的新年前夜

除夕，也被称为元旦，世界各地都会举行狂欢、烟花表演，以及一些宗教和文化仪式。许多国家用象征繁荣、长寿和来年好运的食物庆祝，许多人在午夜时分唱起苏格兰民歌《友谊地久天长》，纪念老朋友和过去的经历。在一个可以追溯到古希腊的传统中，新年通常被拟人化为一个婴儿，与一个代表即将结束的一年的老人配对。

聚会是迎接新年的常见方式，巴西里约热内卢举办了一场难忘的聚会。里约以许多事情而闻名，包括丰富多彩、热闹非凡的庆祝活动、美丽的海滩，以及今天在科帕卡巴纳海滩举行的免费除夕派对。当地人称之为Réveillon，这是世界上最大的除夕晚会，有数百万狂欢者。

New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day, is celebrated around the world with revelry, fireworks, and for some, religious and cultural observances. Many countries celebrate with foods symbolic of prosperity, long life, and good fortune for the coming year, and many people sing the Scottish folk song 'Auld Lang Syne' at the stroke of midnight in remembrance of old friends and past experiences. In a tradition that dates back to the ancient Greeks, the new year is often personified as a baby that is paired with an old man who represents the year that is ending.

Get-togethers are a common way to ring in the new year, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, throws a memorable one. Rio is known for many things, including colorful, exuberant celebrations, glorious beaches, and the free New Year's Eve party at Copacabana Beach, seen in today's image. Known as Réveillon to locals, this New Year's Eve soiree is the largest in the world, with millions of revelers.