分类必应美图下的文章

The interior of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt (© Nick Brundle Photography/Getty Images)

It's not always sunny in Abu Simbel…

This tiny lakeside settlement's Great Temple of Ramesses II was positioned on the orders of that powerful pharaoh so the inner sanctum (in this picture, that's the small room at the very back) is lit by the sun only twice a year. On February 22 and October 22 (thought to be Ramesses' coronation and birth dates, respectively), the first light of dawn illuminates the sanctuary and three statues within: one of Ramesses, one of the sun god Ra, and one of the chief god Amun. A fourth statue depicting the underworld figure Ptah is permanently shrouded in shadow.

The temple is one of a pair resting on the man-made Lake Nasser's shores, the other honoring the pharaoh's wife Nefertari. When the Nile was dammed to create the lake in the 1960s, the whole complex was painstakingly moved to higher ground. While it's unclear if the relocation slightly altered the original timing of the Great Temple's solar alignment, tourists still descend in droves on the site every six months to witness the luminous event.

马勒姆的夜空，英国北约克郡 (© Stephen Dinsdale/Alamy Stock Photo)

施塔弗尔湖畔乌芬附近的桦树大道，德国巴伐利亚 (© Reinhard Schmid/eStock Photo)

以佩尔莫山为背景云层之上的Rifugio Lagazuoi，意大利多洛米蒂山脉 Rifugio Lagazuoi above the clouds with Monte Pelmo in the background, Dolomites, Italy (© Nicolo Miana/eStock Photo)

Après-ski in the Dolomites

Today's homepage image features Rifugio Lagazuoi, a ski lodge located at about 9,000 feet above sea level on Italy's Mount Lagazuoi. With an elevation higher than most ski lodges in this area of the Dolomites, it gives visitors opportunities for breathtaking views like this one. The ruggedly beautiful mountain landscapes, pristine natural environments, and distinctive geologic formations all contributed to the Dolomites being recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009. While the area is accessible all year long, it's worth visiting during the ski season to check out the Great War Ski Tour, an open-air museum and where you can see World War I trenches and tunnels created by Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops as they fought each other in this precipitous and stunning terrain.

美国宇航局新视野星际探测器拍摄的冥王星新月 Pluto's crescent imaged by NASA's New Horizons interplanetary space probe (© NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI/Science Photo Library)

Too awesome to be a planet

Pluto was first spotted on this day in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, a 23-year-old astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Because it’s so far away—about 40 times as far from the sun as Earth is—scientists knew relatively little about Pluto until the New Horizons spacecraft reached it in 2015. In a flyby study, the craft spent more than five months gathering detailed information about Pluto and its moons. What did they find out? There’s a heart-shaped glacier, blue skies, spinning moons, mountains as high as the Rockies, and it snows—but the snow is red.

Once thought to be one of nine full-fledged planets orbiting our sun, in 2006, Pluto was stripped of its planetary status and reclassified as merely a 'dwarf planet.' (Sorry, Pluto.) Though it may no longer be considered a true planet, it’s still the largest dwarf planet of our solar system and holds plenty of mysteries waiting to be discovered.

薄雾笼罩的河流中的丹顶鹤，日本北海道 (© Paul & Paveena Mckenzie/Getty Images)

克瓦尔岛海岸以鲱鱼为食的座头鲸，北挪威特罗姆瑟 Humpback whale feeding on herring off the coast of Kvaløya, Troms, Northern Norway (© Espen Bergersen/Minden Pictures)

Whales in winter

Wintertime brings large numbers of humpback whales to the icy waters off the Norwegian coast, where they feed on herring and krill—and delight whale watchers with powerful leaps, tail-slaps, and glimpses into their underwater world. Male humpbacks are famous for theirhaunting songs, which can last up to 20 minutes and be heard over great distances underwater. Scientists aren’t sure why exactly the males sing these ballads, but some theorize it’s related to courtship. That sounds romantic enough, but ladies take note—the humpback isn’t one to settle down. It's a migratory animal that swims up to 16,000 miles a year, traveling from southern breeding grounds to Arctic waters like these.

Calanques de Piana岩层上的一个心形洞，法国科西嘉岛 A heart-shaped hole in the rock formation of Calanques de Piana in Corsica, France (© joningall/Getty Images)

Two rocks and a heart spot

If you really want to earn someone's affections, fly them to Corsica, rent a car, and take a drive on the only road that cuts through the red volcanic rocks of Calanques de Piana. Some call the naturally occurring rock formation in today’s Valentine's Day photo ‘the two lovers,’ while others call it ‘the heart of Corsica.’ (Spot the heart?) Like most affairs of the heart, the path to this geological Valentine is circuitous—it's a winding road, sometimes too narrow to share with oncoming vehicles (the occasional pullovers help). Our vantage point may be a good spot for you to pull over, especially if it’s sunset, to see the rocks aglow as the sun creeps west toward the horizon.

巨大的冰柱悬挂在Abiqua瀑布周围的玄武岩石墙上，俄勒冈 Frozen colosseum of ice sticking to the columnar basalt walls surrounding Abiqua Falls, Oregon (© Joshua Meador/Tandem Stills + Motion)

Midwinter freeze

Abiqua Falls in Oregon is a beautiful example of a basalt column amphitheater. Over 90 percent of all volcanic rock is basalt, but only a small fraction of it forms into the hexagonal columns that you see here. When molten lava hits the atmosphere, the rapid cooling of the rock causes it to contract into these characteristic columns. It's just part of what makes Abiqua Falls so spectacular.

The waterfall is on the grounds of the Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery formed in 1882. The monastery now houses a seminary school, a library, retreat center, and a very successful brewery. Monks and brewing have a long tradition together, with medieval monks being credited with developing the first true breweries as early as the 9th century. Lest you think the monks were just looking for a little buzz, remember that beer was such a common drink back then because it was healthier than the often polluted or diseased water generally available to the public.

Celebrating women in science

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we're visiting the Great Barrier Reef with oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. This photo is from the 2014 documentary film 'Mission Blue,' which follows Earle, a legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. The film focuses on Earle's campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries. Sometimes called Her Deepness, Earle has made immense contributions to science over her career. From leading groundbreaking research in deep ocean science to becoming the first female chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Earle is recognized as one of the world's preeminent oceanographers.

More recently, she started Mission Blue, an organization that promotes exploration and protection of the world's oceans. With women accounting for a disproportionately low percentage of the world's science researchers, we hope Earle can inspire girls and women alike to investigate, experiment, and leave their mark on the world of science.

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