分类必应美图下的文章

由哈勃太空望远镜拍摄的大麦哲伦星云 The Large Magellanic Cloud, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope (© ESA/Hubble/NASA)

Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images

On this day in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope entered orbit in the cargo bay of the space shuttle Discovery. Shortly thereafter, it began its continuing mission to capture images of our universe from low Earth orbit, free of the obstructions of clouds and the distortions of the atmosphere. Like its namesake, the great astronomer Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope has transformed our understanding of the cosmos. Some of the telescope's greatest contributions include its Deep Field Images—which peer back billions of lightyears—or its with jaw-dropping images of objects closer to home, like the one on today's homepage, which shows a maelstrom of glowing gas and dark dust within one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud.

NASA estimates that Hubble's mission will continue for another 10-20 more years. Next year, it will be joined in orbit by the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be able to peer even farther into space and with greater sensitivity across more wavelengths.

怀波瓦森林中一棵名为Te Matua Ngahere的巨型贝壳杉树，新西兰北地 Te Matua Ngahere, a giant kauri tree growing in Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand (© Kim Westerskov/Getty Images)

50 years of Earth Day

For Mother Earth's big day, we're shining the spotlight on a tree known as 'Father of the Forest,' or Te Matua Ngahere in the Maori language. This giant kauri tree lives in the Waipou Rainforest of New Zealand's North Island. At more than 1,500 years old years old and more than 52 feet around, it's both one of the oldest trees in New Zealand and one of the largest. It's long been revered by the Maori, and is protected by Maori elders.

We suspect this ancient tree must have some extra bounce in its branches today for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. On this day in 1970, some 20 million Americans rallied in communities across the nation to raise awareness of environmental issues. The landmark event is credited for sparking passage in the 1970s of the most comprehensive environmental reform legislation in US history, including the creation of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Earth Day is now celebrated in nearly 200 countries and has grown to include Earth Week, and even Earth Month celebrations. That's all good news for Earth's residents, big and small.

黄石国家公园的大棱镜泉，怀俄明州 The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (© Martin Rügner/DEEPOL by plainpicture)

Colors spring up in Yellowstone

As National Park Week continues, we're taking a look at the Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the more popular attractions in Yellowstone National Park. Visitors on an elevated wooden boardwalk come to witness the vivid colors, which are formed due to a cycle of hot water rising, cooling, and falling--creating rings of distinct temperatures inside the spring. The clear, blue center is the hottest part, with almost nothing living in it. But the other rings are home to different organisms that give the water its rings of color. While it's beautiful to look at, you wouldn't want to swim in it. It's illegal, but it's also much too hot—and the sulfur smell wouldn't leave you feeling too clean.

Keukenhof in Lisse, Netherlands (© Jim Zuckerman/Getty Images)

In the 'Garden of Europe'

Welcome to the ‘Garden of Europe’—a nickname given to this public flower garden in Lisse, Netherlands. The literal translation of 'keukenhof'—from Dutch to English—is 'kitchen court,' as the original grounds for the park and flower garden began as a vegetable garden for the royal residents of Keuken Castle during the 15th century. This prompted another nickname for the pastoral spot: 'kitchen garden.'

Most years, the flower garden opens for just eight weeks each spring to take advantage of the blooming tulips, daffodils, and other flowers. But on March 23, 2020, the Dutch government canceled all public events in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, because so much effort goes into the careful planning and planting of the garden, the staff of Keukenhof has vowed: 'If people cannot come to Keukenhof, we will bring Keukenhof to the people.' They'll be sharing video and images of this year's garden via various 'online channels.'

Micheldever Wood的蓝铃花，英国汉普郡 (© Hursley/Getty Images Plus)

内斯特角灯塔上空的银河，苏格兰斯凯岛 Milky Way over Neist Point Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Scotland (© Shaiith/Getty Images)

Step into the dark

We're on the Isle of Skye, a fitting locale to celebrate the beginning of International Dark Sky Week, and not just because of its name. The Isle of Skye is one of several parts of Scotland that are set aside as Dark Sky parks, where the lack of artificial light makes stargazing a spectacular event, with or without a telescope.

First observed in 2003, International Dark Sky Week was the brainchild of then-high school student Jennifer Barlow. Her goal was to bring awareness of the impact of light pollution on people and the environment. Her efforts have made it a worldwide event and a centerpiece of Global Astronomy Month.

优胜美地国家公园中的春季瀑布 Vernal Fall in Yosemite National Park, California (© elvistudio/Shutterstock)

National Parks Week begins

To kick off National Park Week, which starts today, we're turning our lens on Vernal Fall in California's Yosemite National Park. This time of year, the waterfall flows in a torrent, but by late summer it can be reduced to a trickle of small streams slipping over the edge. Most years, Vernal Fall is at full power by May, as the spring thaw in the mountains melts the snowpack, turning the falls into a raging tumble of water spilling to the valley floor where the Merced River flows.

Bridges to the past

The story of this sandstone formation in southeastern Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument begins around 10 million years ago. That's when tectonic shifts began slowly lifting the 130,000 square-mile Colorado Plateau above the surrounding plains. In ensuing eons, the Colorado River's many streams eroded the elevated land, threading it with deep canyons. When water broke through one canyon wall into another canyon, sometimes a natural bridge like this one remained above the breach.

The national monument—Utah's first, proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt on April 16, 1908—protects three major bridges: Sipapu (pictured, and the largest), Kachina, and Owachomo. But even the president's pen can't stop the slow ravages of time. In a 1992 rockfall, Kachina slimmed down by 4,000 tons—and the remains of many fallen bridges dot the monument, hinting at the main attractions' eventual fate.

Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn的浮庙，泰国南邦 Floating temples of Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn in Lampang province, Thailand (© pa_YON/Getty Images)

Floating temples in the Land of Smiles

Greetings from the mountain peaks of northern Thailand, near the city of Lampang, which have been majestically transformed with the addition of these golden and white 'floating' stupas and pagodas. Their construction was a monumental effort, with materials hauled up in pieces by around 50 workers under the direction of a Lampang monk over the course of two years. The resulting temple complex of Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn is off the beaten path—visitors need to drive more than 2 hours from Chiangmai, then make a half-mile stair climb in what can be punishing heat. But the views from the top seem worth the effort.

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