分类必应美图下的文章

楚格峰下的艾布湖，德国巴伐利亚 Eibsee lake at the base of Zugspitze mountain, Bavaria, Germany (© Marc Hohenleitner/Huber/eStock Photo)

The Zugspitze: Germany's highest point

Welcome to the snowy Bavarian Alps, where the mountain called the Zugspitze (TSOOG-shpit-seh) casts a cold shadow over the Eibsee, a small and serene alpine lake. Situated on the border with Austria, the peak is Germany's highest point at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, towering over the lakeside village of Grainau.

The word 'zug' means 'train' in modern German. Though the peak's name is much older than the locomotive (and probably refers to 'zugbahnen,' deep tracks cut into the mountainside by avalanches), it's especially appropriate now: a steep cogwheel railway tunnels up from the nearby town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to a plateau near the summit. Aerial trams also serve the mountaintop from both the German and Austrian sides, and the one from Grainau boasts the longest free span for a cable car in the world, at about two miles.

穆尔森林国家纪念碑，加利福尼亚州旧金山 Muir Woods National Monument, San Francisco, California (© Mia2you/Shutterstock)

Into the woods

On this day in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared 554 acres in Marin County, California, a national monument. William and Elizabeth Kent, who donated the land, insisted the monument be named after naturalist John Muir, the environmentalist known as the 'father of the national parks.' Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods is best known for its old-growth coastal redwood forests, which make up more than half its land. The redwoods in the monument are 600-800 years old, on average, with the oldest being at least 1,200. The tallest tree is about 258 feet, though further north redwoods grow as high as 379 feet. Redwoods are an important part of the forest ecosystem. They absorb and 'strip' moisture from fog, which then drips into the ground, supporting the trees as well as other forest life.

张家界天门山，中国 Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China (© Bogdan Dyiakonovych/Shutterstock)

Take the stairs

If you want to celebrate Take the Stairs Day in style, look no further than China's Tianmen Mountain (literally Heaven's Door). About 5,000 feet above sea level, the hole in the mountain is the highest naturally formed arch in the world. Originally a cave, it became an arch in 263 AD when the backside of the mountain collapsed, creating the dramatic opening we see today. You'll have to climb 999 steps to make it to the top, but we promise the view is worth it.

木星的卫星——木卫一、木卫二、木卫三和木卫四 Moons of Jupiter—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto (© Branko Šimunek/Alamy)

Jupiter and the Galilean Moons

On January 7, 1610, Galileo was the first person to train a telescope on Jupiter—and what he saw surprised him. Strung in a line beside the planet were three tiny stars, one to the left of the planet and two to the right. But when he observed the formation the next night, he saw that now all three were on the same side of Jupiter. Over the following week, he watched as the tiny stars (now joined by a fourth) changed their position relative to the planet while remaining beside it. By January 15, he had it figured out: he was observing four moons orbiting Jupiter.

It was a discovery that would have profound implications on our conception of the cosmos, providing crucial evidence that Earth was not the center of the universe around which everything rotated. Savvy as well as brilliant, Galileo named the four moons 'the Medicean Stars' after his patron, Cosimo Medici. But over the years, as the influence of the Medici family waned and the influence of the genius from Pisa waxed, they became known as the Galilean Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Calisto.

特拉凯城堡博物馆，立陶宛特拉凯 Trakai Island Castle Museum in Trakai, Lithuania (© Andrius Aleksandravicius/Alamy)

'Have fun storming the castle'

Our headline quote comes from 'The Princess Bride' film, of course, but our homepage castle is found in Lithuania, the largest of the three Baltic states. Construction on this fortress began in the 14th century by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and was completed years later by his son. It served as a strategic and bustling center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a former European state. Like much architecture from so long ago, the castle was damaged and fell into disrepair, only to be reconstructed and reopened as a museum. These days it's known as one of the most charming medieval castles in Europe.

'Field of Light at Sensorio,' by Bruce Munro, Paso Robles, Calif. (© George Rose/Getty Images)

'Field of Light at Sensorio' by Bruce Munro

Artist Bruce Munro was camping at Ayers Rock in Australia with his family in 1992 when he envisioned the art installation on today's homepage. Titled 'Field of Light,' it's currently on display at a venue called Sensorio in Paso Robles, California, the latest stop in a tour of sites around the world. At Sensorio, a new arts center that bills itself as representing 'the intersection of art, technology and nature,' visitors will find 58,800 solar-powered spheres, lit by optical fibers, that change color. When the sun sets, the fibers illuminate, creating a shimmering, interactive landscape in the meadow. The art installation changes a bit at each destination, but Munro tells reporters, 'the one constant is that it does make people smile.'

斯诺多尼亚国家公园多尔威泽兰城堡，英国威尔士康威 (© Sebastian Wasek/Sime/eStock Photo)

冬季奥兰卡国家公园Myllykoski风景区中的漩涡，芬兰库萨莫 The whirlpool in Myllykoski scenic area at winter in Oulanka National Park, Kuusamo, Finland (© Lassi Rautiainen/Minden Pictures)

Winter in the Finnish wilds

Don't be fooled by this frozen scene's tranquility. Once the snow melts in northern Finland's Oulanka National Park, the river's gentle swirl will turn to deafening rapids, hosting rafters as well as waterfall-peeping tourists. But there's time to enjoy the winter calm, since the region's wintery cold regularly stretches into April or May.

The partly frozen whirlpool churns near Myllykoski, a defunct mill that's now a resting point along Finland's busiest nature trail, Karhunkierros. The 50-mile route begins more than 500 miles north of Helsinki, with midsummer hikers enjoying treks lit by the midnight sun. For determined skiers and snowshoers, portions of the trail remain open through the frigid winter. Not feeling quite that intrepid? Chill at home with today's ice-themed quiz.

3, 2, 1 … Happy New Year!

Backnang, the city celebrating the new year in this photo, is in Germany's Baden region. Thanks to the Rhine River on the west, and the Black Forest to the east, the soil in Baden is ideal for vineyards. Among the varieties of wine produced here, Spätburgunder is common, which you may know by its more common French name: Pinot Noir. It seems likely that the people of Backnang would be celebrating with a glass of Pinot or something else this evening. However you choose to celebrate, here's wishing you a very happy and healthy new year!

Sky island views

Though it's December, it isn't cold and snowy everywhere in North America. Here, near Tucson, Arizona, the Sonoran Desert stays warm year-round. In this photo, we're looking at a 'sky island'—an isolated, high-elevation woodland surrounded by radically different lowland environments. In this case, the desert land at the base of the mountain is peppered with saguaros—a stately cactus recognized for its long arms. The snow-capped Santa Catalina Mountains in the distance are part of the Madrean Sky Islands and are home to Mount Lemmon Sky Valley, which is the southernmost ski destination in the US. The ski area covers the slopes of Mount Lemmon, which reaches 9,150 feet at the summit and gets about 180 inches of snow annually.

星空迷