A photo from out of this world

This far-out image of the Sahara desert was taken from space by the Sally Ride EarthKAM, a camera aboard the International Space Station. The EarthKAM is programmed remotely by middle school students around the world as part of a NASA educational programme established by physicist and astronaut Sally Ride, who became the first American woman to travel to space in 1983.

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Where's the middle of the bridge?

This ambitious construction project in China connects three major cities (Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai) on the Pearl River Delta. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) includes three cable bridges and a tunnel – similar to the Channel Tunnel between England and France – that takes commuters below the delta’s waters. The HZMB is currently the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, with a combined length of more than 34 miles. Originally set to open in 2016, it was finally completed and open to traffic in October 2018. Would you take a ride through the tunnel under the waters of the Pearl River Delta?

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Why are the colours different?

That’s the river Arve on the right, flowing into the Rhône. This point where the two rivers meet is just west of the city centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The Arve’s much lighter colour is due to the silt it picks up as it flows out of the Alps. From here, the Rhône will continue on – in a mostly southerly direction – through south-east France towards its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea.

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Lupins at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo fills 32 square miles smack-dab in the middle of some of the most magnificent scenery on New Zealand's South Island. On the horizon, the Southern Alps are a snow-capped frame, and closer in Mt. John awaits day hikers. The wider region is known as Mackenzie Country, a vast, sparsely populated basin within the Southern Alps. Visitors come here to get away from it all, whether that means a chance to stop and smell the lupins or to gaze at the stars. Lake Tekapo is renowned for its stargazing, with strict light pollution laws helping make it one of the best places in the Southern Hemisphere for viewing the full majesty of the night sky.

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Where are these surfers?

Surfers from Norway and around the world gather each September in Unstad, a tiny village in Norway's Lofoten Islands, to compete in the Lofoten Masters, which bills itself as the world's northernmost surfing competition. Described by some as the best surf break in Norway, the island village, where sheep easily outnumber people, boasts two surf shops to help both novices and experts prepare for the extreme conditions.

And surfing isn't just a summer sport at this famous and frequently photographed beach inside the Arctic Circle, during winter months surfers come here for the unique experience of surfing under the Aurora Borealis.

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Where's this hilltop castle?

As we get further into September and the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, let’s head to the German state of Thuringia and enjoy this autumnal scene at Wachsenburg Castle. Wachsenburg is one of three neighbouring hilltop castles collectively known as the Drei Gleichen – or “Three Equals” – alongside Gleichen Castle and Muhlburg Castle.

Wachsenburg itself has a colourful past, originally built around the year 930, it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since and has served as a frontier fortification, a base for a robber baron and a prison. It has now been turned into a hotel, museum and a restaurant, which is popular with hikers. Thuringia itself is not short of an historic building or two. It boasts more than 400 palaces and castles, some in ruins, some complete – all with their own stories to tell.

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What's the name of this church?

This picturesque setting is from Reichenau Island, the biggest island in Lake Constance in southern Germany. In the background you can see the Minster of St Mary and St Mark, which was once the abbey church of the important Reichenau Monastery. The Monastic Island of Reichenau has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 and is notable for its vegetable farms. One third of the island is used for agriculture, which is why it is often called the “Vegetable island”. But as you can see in this image, there’s still enough space for a wildflower meadow.

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Are these pandas smooching?

On International Kissing Day, take some inspiration from these two adorable panda cubs, nuzzling in a tree in their native country, China. This unofficial holiday is all about smooching your loved ones. When you’re done with that, consider how else you might spread some love – perhaps to our panda friends, shown here. It’s estimated that fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild. Organisations like the World Wildlife Fund are working to protect their habitat, and your support can make a difference.

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What massif is this peak part of?

Aiguille du Midi in eastern France is one of many peaks in the Mont Blanc massif, an Alpine range that stretches across the border into Italy and Switzerland. In 1909, an aerial tramway was proposed to take tourists from Chamonix, the valley town below, to the top of Aiguille du Midi – a plan finally realised in 1955. The cable cars and viewing platform were upgraded most recently in 2012, and a new feature called ‘Step into the Void’ was added. It allows tourists to stand in a glass room jutting out from the mountain.

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Where is Apia Harbor?

Come ashore in time to celebrate Samoa’s independence today! Samoa became the first small island independent nation in the South Pacific on 1 January 1962 – the date New Zealand’s Western Samoa Act of 1961 went into effect. But Samoans celebrate their freedom on 1 June every year. We hope those rowers in the canoes are back in time for the party.

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Which US State has Point Arena Light?

The jigsaw coastline of Point Arena, a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, nearly demands a lighthouse to warn ships away from the danger. Luckily, the Point Arena Light has been on the job since 1870. After the original tower was damaged by an earthquake in 1906, a new lighthouse, standing 115 feet tall, was built and began operation in 1908. Today, visitors can tour the lighthouse and pop into its small museum and gift shop.

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Where's this huge dancing fountains?

With the 2009 opening of the Dubai Fountain, featured in today's image, the city of Dubai adds another record to the books. The world’s tallest performing fountain can be found at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, which is currently the world's tallest building. Everything about the Dubai Fountain is impressive. Located in the huge Burj Khalifa Lake, the fountain consists of five circles of powerful water jets, joined by two curving lines stretching over 900 feet in length. Colour projectors and more than 6,600 lights are used to create a captivating water, music and light experience as the illuminated jets of water sway in time to a carefully crafted musical playlist. The jets can shoot water more than 450 feet into the air and can be seen from more than 18 miles away.

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What slimy creatures live here?

March 21 is the International Day of Forests, which highlights the important role that trees and their forest ecosystems play in creating a healthy environment. Here at the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in California, United States, the giant coastal redwoods – plus a variety of other trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, mosses and lichens – provide a haven for many creatures, even the small and slimy. This is banana slug territory and visitors are likely to encounter the bright yellow slug – the largest slug in North America – as they journey through the park.

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Where is this outdoor gallery?

The stone walls of the tepuis (table-top mountains) in Chiribiquete National Natural Park are decorated with some 75,000 paintings, some created as much as 20,000 years ago, others from the present day. The jaguar is a recurring motif in the images. Historians think the images of the big cat are expressions of jaguar worship by the indigenous tribes who have lived in the broader area for millennia. This park protects and preserves a 17,000-square-mile expanse of the Colombian Amazon, with a diverse ecosystem supporting many endemic species. In addition, officials believe that Chiribiquete could be home for various indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation, the descendants of those who painted the ancient rock art. Both the human cultural history of this place and the extraordinarily pristine natural beauty of the landscape are what earned Chiribiquete UNESCO World Heritage status this year – the rare location to meet both cultural and natural criteria for inclusion on the UN’s list.

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Where's this waterfall?

Renowned for its spectacular scenery, Scotland is home to a slew of enchanting cascades. The gushing water in our photo belongs to the Loup of Fintry, a 94-foot (28.6 metres) fall on the River Endrick, tucked away among the beautiful countryside near Stirling and only two miles from the small village of Fintry. If you’re planning a trip here, it’s best to save for a rainy day, as like most waterfalls, the Loup of Fintry ('Loup' means leap in the Scots language) is a more impressive sight in wintry conditions when the snow is melting or after heavy rainfall. You shouldn't have to wait long for a downpour in Scotland!

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Where in France is this gorge?

Today, on the traditional end of the French summer season, we're featuring the wild beauty of the Gorges du Tarn, a canyon formed by the Tarn river in south central France. The Tarn Gorge is about 33 miles long and, at points, almost 2,000 feet deep. It's a popular spot for tourists, especially kayakers and rock climbers. History buffs also find much to explore, including the castles and villages built along – or even carved into – the canyon walls, like Castelbouc in today's image.

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Where is this volcano?

That’s the Villarrica volcano providing fireworks as we mark Chile’s Independence Day, the celebrations for which take place on 18 and 19 September. One of South America’s most active volcanoes, Villarrica is known to the indigenous Mapuche people as Rucapillán (Devil’s House). This photo was taken on 2 September, 2018, a scene that alarmed nearby residents but wasn’t nearly as destructive as other eruptions - like one in 2015 that prompted the evacuation of thousands of people.

Chile’s celebrations, or Fiestas Patrias, take place each year just before the spring equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, doubling up as a kind of spring festival. With most schools and workplaces on a week-long holiday, people celebrate by attending rodeos, going to the beach, visiting family, and indulging in traditional Chilean food and drink. It’s said that Chileans gain weight during the Fiestas Patrias, dining out on empanadas de pino - small pastries filled with minced meat, onions, hard-boiled egg and olives – which are typically eaten with a variety of grilled meats from barbecue stands called asados. It’s all washed down with local red wine or chicha, which in Chile is a sweet, fermented grape or apple-based beverage which is almost exclusively drunk during Fiestas Patrias celebrations.

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What's that in the sky?

For a unique viewing experience of the Northern Lights, visit the Norstead Viking Village at L’Anse aux Meadows on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Here, buildings with wood-panelled walls and earthy floors alongside Viking ships bring to life the charm of the Viking period. On dark winter nights, when the skies are clear of light pollution, stargazers can catch a breathtaking display of the Aurora Borealis. The lights appear when electrical charged particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere from the Sun. The variations in colour and appearance as streamers and shooting rays further adds to the beauty of this extraordinary performance by nature.

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What are these colorful blooms?

With tulip fields in bloom across Holland, like this one in the Duin- en Bollenstreek (Dune and Bulb) region, we're flinging ourselves into spring for the month-long Amsterdam Tulip Festival. Visitors can see the colourful blooms at more than 85 locations throughout the region, but the biggest and most famous displays will be at the Keukenhof outside Amsterdam, which this year is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its public tulip beds. This 'Garden of Europe' is one of the world's largest flower gardens with 800 varieties of tulips and more than seven million flowering spring bulbs each year.

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Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Once the site of American soldiers on watch for British troops, the headland at Cape Elizabeth, Maine got a more permanent lookout when George Washington requested a lighthouse be built for the spot. First lit in 1791 (with the keepers' house we see here added exactly 100 years later in 1891), Portland Head is the oldest lighthouse in Maine, a state packed with them. Essential for maritime safety, the lighthouse was also a strategic military defense for Portland Harbor as recently as World War II. Portland Head Light was fully automated in 1989 and its keepers' house is now a maritime museum.

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What is said to roam these moors?

Welcome to Exmoor National Park, a patchwork of landscapes covering 267 square miles of south-west England. Here, grassy open moorland and heather-covered hills nestle up against wooded valleys, streams, waterfalls, farmland and some of the highest sea cliffs in the country – scenery which inspired RD Blackmore’s 1869 historical romance novel Lorna Doone.

From Exmoor’s highest point on Dunkery Hill, visitors can get sweeping views stretching from Dartmoor in the south up to the Bristol Channel and beyond on a clear day, while at night, Exmoor offers one of the best stargazing spots in the UK as an International Dark Sky Reserve. The park is also home to a large variety of wildlife including Exmoor ponies - which roam freely on the moor – rare butterflies, otters and wild red deer, a nod to Exmoor’s past as an ancient royal forest. But keep your eyes peeled for the legendary Beast of Exmoor, a huge puma or panther-like creature which some claim to have spotted roaming the moors.

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What happened to these clouds?

Today is World Meteorological Day, so we’re high up in the atmosphere, above the clouds, for a satellite view of fallstreak holes – gaps in the clouds that are also known as hole-punch clouds. The holes form when supercooled water droplets suddenly freeze – often when a plane flies through the cloud – and then fall, leaving an opening in the formation. Scientists are still gaining new insights on how fallstreak holes form and behave.

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What's going on here?

Outside is the freezing mountain air of Lagazuoi, a popular skiing and hiking peak in the Dolomites range located in north-east Italy. Inside is a traditional Finnish sauna, where visitors might take a steam after a day on the slopes. We agree, that sounds like a lovely way to take the sting out of the end of the holidays. Think the boss will mind if we take a long weekend in Italy?

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What causes the Aurora Borealis?

The mechanics of the Northern Lights are still not fully understood as there are multiple influences and atmospheric conditions that create these photogenic ripples of coloured light in the sky. Scientists agree that solar winds – big pulses of energy from our Sun – interfere with the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions. The result is a ghostly light show in the sky – like the one in our photo today, captured in Norway.

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Who are these banana birds?

Yellow-billed hornbills live in the dry savannahs of southern Africa. They feed mainly on the ground, foraging for creepy crawlies, and are characterised by their large, downwardly curved yellow beaks, which is why they are sometimes referred to as 'flying bananas'. These two were photographed in South Africa's Kruger National Park, one of the largest nature reserves on the continent and home to numerous native species. While lions, elephants and rhinos may get the spotlight, the bird population here could inspire a safari of its own.

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Where's this narrow trail?

Utah’s Zion National Park, established 99 years ago today, is one of the most visited national parks in the US. It’s full of amazing scenery, including Zion Canyon. Our photo today shows The Narrows, a trail through the tightest gap in the canyon. Roughly a third of The Narrows is under the waters of the Virgin River. For portions of the hike, the river fills up the passage, from wall to wall, leaving hikers no choice but to wade in and keep walking – not an unwelcome prospect on a hot day, even in November.

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Lake Garda and the town of Torbole, Italy

Backed by the soaring Monte Baldo mountain range and lapped by the waters of Lake Garda, Torbole nestles into a stunning slice of northern Italy. Stepping up into the hills finds the tiny village of Nago, and together, Nago and Torbole form a single municipality. Torbole's architecture rivals the natural surroundings for beauty: Colorful buildings line the harbor, some dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries when Venetian powers ruled here. Torbole's origins stretch back even further to prehistoric settlements, followed by Imperial Roman colonization. For the past 500 years or so, the picturesque town has been a popular stop for folks traveling in the region. Torbole seems irresistible to both conqueror and tourist alike.

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Where is Letchworth State park?

New York State isn’t all skyscrapers and teeming crowds. The Empire State is home to a diverse geography, including some wild places that were around back on 26 July 1788, when New York officially joined the Union. In honour of New York’s statehood day, we’re at Letchworth State Park, a wilderness that follows the Genesee River some 17 miles through a deep gorge that’s known as the ‘Grand Canyon of the East’.

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Seashore of Lord Howe Island, Australia

Some 370 miles east of the Australian mainland lies Lord Howe Island. Uninhabited when the British first came upon it in 1788, the island served for nearly a century as a port for whalers. As that industry declined, trade in the native kentia palm boomed, along with regular visits from scientific expeditions. The island is now regarded as a prime biodiversity hot spot, with many of its plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. With just a few hundred inhabitants, much of the island is protected as a natural preserve and marine park. In 1982 the entire Lord Howe Island Group was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada

You can thank the Niagara Escarpment for the ruggedly handsome shoreline and the clear blue waters of Georgian Bay and its many coves. This bucolic scene is one of a seemingly endless array in Ontario’s 59-square-mile Bruce Peninsula National Park. Dolostone rock, hundreds of millions of years in the making, provides the jagged outlines for scenic coastal coves and cliffs. Just a short hike from here, one outcropping in particular draws sightseers like no other in the region: The Grotto. Erosion has created a sea cave, and the waters that fill it glow blue on sunny days. Don’t forget your camera!

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Where is Dhigurah Island?

The Alif Dhaal Atoll (also known as South Ari Atoll) is one of 26 atolls that make up the nation of the Maldives. Only a few of the islands in this atoll are inhabited, and one of those is the long and slender Dhigurah. Snorkeling and scuba diving are big draws for tourists due to the rich marine life just offshore, including an abundance of whale sharks. The vessel you see here, called a dhoni, makes for a great dive boat. And it’s not a bad way of getting around the Maldives in general—this watery nation boasts nearly 1,200 islands scattered across some 35,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.

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Where's the "River of Grass?

You’re looking at a satellite view of Florida’s Everglades, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. It’s not a static wetland, but rather a ‘river of grass’, a slow-moving river 60 miles wide and 100 miles long. Keep zooming in and you’ll likely see mangrove trees, tropical birds and an alligator or two. Among the myriad interesting things about this unique and fragile ecosystem – it’s the only place in the world where American alligators and American crocodiles co-exist. How do you tell the difference between the two? Well, you see one later and the other after a while.

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What used to be in this light house?

This classic red-and-white lighthouse is an iconic Canadian image situated within Peggy's Cove, a quaint fishing village on the eastern shore of St Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia. (There are several theories about the beacon's name, but Peggy is a common nickname for Margaret.) The first lighthouse was built here in 1868, and it was replaced by the present tower in 1915, a concrete octagon almost 50 feet high and 50 feet west of the original light. The lighthouse is one of the most photographed spots in Canada and previously housed a small post office where visitors could send postcards and letters in summer months. Very romantic.

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Florence is in which Italian region?

Hidden from view, many tourists never realise that the Corsini Garden, featured in today's image, lies just beyond the walls of the Palazzo Corsini al Prato. You’ll find the garden and palace in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and capital of the Italian region of Tuscany. Designed by architect Bernardo Buontalenti in the early 1590s, the Palazzo Corsini al Prato and Corsini Garden will host the third annual New Generation Festival this week.

The festival, which features emerging musical talent from around the world performing a different musical genre each night, is designed to break down barriers between generations. For four nights, young and old will enjoy jazz, classical music and opera – including Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro - in an Italian garden that has enchanted visitors for more than a dozen generations.

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Road to Lone Pine, California

In some ways, the history of Lone Pine is a microcosm of California's history. Native Paiute people have lived in the area now known as Lone Pine since prehistoric times. Beginning in the mid-19th century, outside settlers began to trickle in to this high desert region. Nearby Mt. Whitney attracted climbers, and when train tracks were laid down through Lone Pine, the local hotel saw a booming tourist trade. 

The real crowds showed up—well, at least the film crews did—when Hollywood discovered the scenic grandeur of the region. From 1920 onwards, roughly 400 films and 100 TV episodes have been filmed in the vicinity of Lone Pine, the Alabama Hills, and the towering Sierra Nevada mountains.

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