分类必应美图下的文章

一只勃兰特鸬鹚在洛杉矶海岸石油钻塔下的一群太平洋鲭鱼中觅食，加利福尼亚 A Brandt's cormorant hunts for a meal in a school of Pacific mackerel beneath an oil rig off the coast of Los Angeles, California (© Alex Mustard/Minden Pictures)

A seabird gets 'schooled'

This deep-diving Brandt's cormorant appears to be on the hunt for a meal, and there's plenty of Pacific mackerel to choose from here off the coast of Los Angeles, California. While seabirds like the cormorant are a threat to these fish, the mackerel aren't exactly defenseless. Fish have many unique means of defense, such as traveling in dense schools like this one. It's a technique that not only allows for speedy travel (because it reduces friction on most of the fish in the school)—schooling also makes it more difficult for predators to pick out an individual victim. For these fish, there's safety in numbers. But when all else fails, they can take some advice from Dory in 'Finding Nemo'—'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.'

瓦尔加迪纳的日落，意大利南蒂罗尔多洛米蒂山脉 Sunset in Val Gardena in the Dolomites of South Tyrol, Italy (© Marco Capellari/Getty Images)

In the valley of the doll

Today we're featuring a picture-postcard view of Val Gardena, a valley nestled in Dolomites in the South Tyrol region of Italy. This time of year, the remote area may be a bit busier than usual as skiers are drawn to its famous slopes. In summer, it's known for other outdoor activities, such as rock climbing and hiking. Since the 17th century, the villagers have been famed for their woodcarving. Artisans create everything from simple, utilitarian items, like wood bowls, to finely detailed figurines. One of the woodcarvers' biggest hits? A wooden peg doll that was popular across Europe and the US during the 19th century.

加德满都布达纳特塔鸟瞰图，尼泊尔 Aerial view of Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal (© Maksim Semin/Shutterstock)

Harvest season begins

Today we're in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the Boudhanath stupa stands out against the skyline. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet—traders have rested and offered prayers here for centuries. Like all stupas, Boudhanath is a mound-like structure containing relics. It was first built sometime after the 600s, when Buddhism was first spreading through Tibet and Nepal. It's long been a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha, one of the 29 named ancient Buddhas.

Today, many locals in Kathmandu and across Nepal are celebrating Maghe Sankranti, the harvest festival that marks the beginning of the month of Magh and the start of warmer weather. It's similar to the winter solstice celebrated by other cultures. Typically, people observe the holiday at home with their families. But this holiday is also when many Hindus worship the sun god by taking ritual baths in nearby rivers and eating special festive foods like yams and sweet dough balls called 'laddus.'

Mountain Fuji sunrise (© Juan Paulo Gutierrez/Getty Images)

Mount Fuji Sunrise for new year

Mount Fuji is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains". It is the highest volcano in Japan, the 2nd-highest volcano of an island in Asia, and the 7th-highest peak of an island in the world. It is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707-1708. Mt.Fuji is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan's Historic Sites.

By the way, the sunrise on New Year's Day is called "first sunrise" or "coming light", but these two are slightly different. "First sunrise" was the subject of religion, based on the legend that the new god descends with the first sunrise. "Gokumitsu" is originally a Buddhist term. It refers to worshiping the sunrise at the top of a high mountain and is actually a summer term.

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.

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.

'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

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.'

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