Public Posts

Poplar hawk-mot (Laothoe populi populi) male in Cumnor Hill, Oxfordshire, England. All of the insect is in focus after focus stacking 15 images.

Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Basilica of Santa Francesca, Rome, Italy. A church at the site was known by the tenth century. It was named Santa Maria Nova ("New St Mary"), to distinguish it from the other church inside the Roman forum devoted to St Mary, Santa Maria Antiqua ("Ancient St Mary"), which had fallen into ruin by then. The relics from the ancient church were moved to this church under Pope Leo. Santa Maria Nuova was enlarged in the second half of the tenth century, and then rebuilt by Pope Honorius III in the thirteenth century, adding the campanile and the apse, as well as being decorated with a mosaic Maestà, a depiction of the Madonna enthroned accompanied by saints (as seen in the picture). Since 1352 the church has been in the care of the Olivetans. In the 16th century, the church was rededicated to Frances of Rome (Francesca Buzzi), who was canonized in 1608 and whose relics are in the crypt. The interior of the church has undergone many refurbishments.

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Viking Sky (ship, 2017) - moored in the harbour of Sète (Hérault, France).

Christian Ferrer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Sand dunes of the Thar Desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan. On this day in 1949, the state was formed after a merger of several Rajput princely states into the Indian Union following India's independence from British colonial rule.

Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Sunrise in Pieniny mountains, Poland.

Pudelek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Mary Martin with children, during production of the Broadway musical The Sound of Music. Martin portrayed Maria von Trapp who died on this day in 1987.

Toni Frissell / Adam Cuerden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Northern lights in the night sky over Mývatn, Iceland.

Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Kyzylkup table mountain. Kyzylsai regional park, Mangystau District, Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan.

Максат79, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Villages of Hullathy Gram Panchayat in a steep arid valley in the north face of the Nilgiri Mountains. Villagers have created a vibrant agrarian economy, largely vegetables and tea, using terraces and irrigation. Tamil Nadu, India.

Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Little corella (Cacatua sanguinea gymnopis) Murray River, Blanchetown, South Australia. A type of cockatoo.

Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

A previously unpublished illustration intended for the Saturday Evening Post's 1943 New Year's edition. It was never used due to publisher demands that the illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker, create a more optimistic and patriotic cover that was sensitive to the families of American soldiers. It was publicly shown for the first time in 2020 as part of an auction.

J. C. Leyendecker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Royal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), Ras Muhammad National Park, Red Sea, Egypt. The body of the royal angelfish is moderately elongate, is very compressed and can reach a length of up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) It's widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and can be found in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean around East Africa and the Maldives, stretching to the Tuamoto Islands, New Caledonia, and Great Barrier Reef. The royal angelfish occurs at depths ranging from 0 to 80m (0 to 262 ft), in coral rich areas of lagoons, reefs, and are also often found in the vicinity of caves. It is a carnivorous species that feeds on sponges and tunicates located throughout reefs and underwater caves. They are a non-migratory species that can be found solitary, in pairs, or groups.

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.