(quote)

Northern Lights stun UK in spectacular display
The Northern Lights have made a rare appearance across the UK, delighting sky watchers up and down the country. They could be seen after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years hit Earth, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing a rare solar storm warning.

The extreme geomagnetic storm that happened on Friday was classed read more

(quote)

The Champs-Élysées will be covered in an enormous picnic blanket, and everyone lucky enough to attend will get a free picnic basket of local delicacies
There’s something quite chic about a picnic, and Paris certainly has plenty of spots to throw down a blanket and tear apart some baguette – we even have a guide to the best shops for picnic read more

(quote)

Hobbyist photographer snaps photo of extremely rare bird in 1st U.S. sighting
On a trip to the Oregon coast in late April, amateur photographer Michael Sanchez took his new camera out to Hug Point State Park to snap pictures of waterfalls. Sanchez, a 41-year-old middle-school band director from Vancouver, Wash., recently picked up photography and, by his account, is by no means a bird-watcher. read more

(quote)

The ‘Toolbelt Generation’: Gen Z skipping college for trades
Gen Z has earned a new nickname for taking on more skilled trade positions as more young people are reportedly skipping college in favor of trade schools. Vocational training programs surged 16%, the highest level since 2018, with some calling Gen Z the “Toolbelt Generation.”

read more

(quote)

Texas is globally important for birds.
Approximately 1 of every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. in spring, and 1 of every 4 birds migrating through the U.S. in the fall, or nearly two billion birds, passes through Texas in one of the planet’s great wildlife spectacles.

Majority of North American birds migrating travel at night! Unfortunately, light emanating from our cities can disorient read more

(quote)

Eclipse across North America: The total solar eclipse that swept across Mexico, the United States and Canada has completed a spectacular journey over continental North America.
An estimated 32 million people were in the path of totality and a total solar eclipse could be visible in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, read more

(quote)

A dramatic photo of two gannets fighting for a fish in the waters off Scotland’s Shetland Islands has won first prize at the World Nature Photography Awards.
The image by Tracey Lund, from the United Kingdom, was selected from thousands of submissions to receive the $1,000 prize. “Thousands of gannets were in the sky above us and then started to dive into the sea after locally read more

(quote)

Step into the heart of eastern Oregon, where the night sky unveils a spectacle so mesmerizing that it’s officially been crowned the world’s largest International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
Imagine a canvas stretching over 2.5 million acres in Lake County, twinkling with stars, a wilderness so vast it’s just the beginning of a dream to shield 11.4 million acres from the ever-encroaching glow read more

(quote)

Finland Tops Happiest Countries List for the Seventh Time
For the seventh year running, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world by the United Nations’ World Happiness Report. The Nordic nation has long been known for its sauna culture, but the Finns’ enduring well-being goes beyond warm rooms and cold plunges. Some Finns have told the press that their citizens read more

(quote)

The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America
Here’s a superbly-kept secret: All those dates on food products—sell by, use by, best before—almost none of those dates indicate the safety of food, and generally speaking, they’re not regulated in the way many people believe. The current system of expiration dates misleads read more

(quote)

With its towering dome, St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most famous structures in all of London. Soon, some lucky travelers will have a chance to spend the night at the famed landmark—the first to do so since the St. Paul’s Watch fire brigade took nightly shifts protecting the building during World War II.

Airbnb is offering a one-night read more

(quote)

An international team of scientists may have found more than 100 new species, during a mission to explore seamounts off the coast of Chile. These creatures who look like they come from a sci-fi novel call the 1,800-mile-long Salas y Gómez Ridge home.

Seamounts are large underwater mountains that are often formed by volcanic activity and can be found in every ocean basin on Earth. They are a critical read more

(quote)

San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade celebrates the Year of the Dragon (Video)
Amid the loud pops of firecrackers, thousands of people gathered as dozens of floats rolled from Market and Second streets on a balmy Saturday to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade, the largest one outside read more

(quote)

This Italian Airport Will Have A Vineyard On Its Roof
From their window seats, future visitors landing at the Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Florence (sometimes called Peretola Airport) will catch the view of a 19-acre vineyard gently sloping upward toward the new international terminal.

This remarkable feature will visually reflect Tuscany’s integral read more

Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, Los Angeles, USA
London, England
Lion dance, Edinburgh, Scotland
Dragon dance, Manila, Philippines
Traditional stilt walkers, Beijing, China
Sydney, Australia
Barcelona, Spain
Auspicious Dragon Lego set 2024

Image courtesy Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images, Leon Neal/Getty Images, Ezra Acayan/Getty Images, Kevin Frayer/Getty Images, Axel Miranda/SOPA Images/Sipa/Reuters, Disney and Lego