#HappyHalloween! Our public lands are always welcoming, often stunning and occasionally a little spooky. Check out this haunting picture of Conway Summit Area of Critical Environmental Concern in California, which includes this week’s full moon -- the Hunter’s Moon. Photographer Bob Wick said “I was afraid that I would miss the leaves this year but there were still some dramatic colors showing.” Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1M2LahF

The Witch Head Nebula The Witch Head Nebula

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble .... maybe Macbeth should have consulted the Witch Head Nebula. A frighteningly shaped reflection nebula, this cosmic crone is about 800 light-years away though. Its malevolent visage seems to glare toward nearby bright star Rigel in Orion, just off the right edge of this frame. More formally known as IC 2118, the interstellar cloud of dust and gas is nearly 70 light-years across, its dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight. In this composite portrait, the nebula's color is caused not only by the star's intense bluish light but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in planet Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. via NASA http://ift.tt/1WnLsog

The largest #geyser basin at #Yellowstone #NationalPark, Lower Geyser Basin spans about 18 square miles and includes mud pots, geysers, pools, springs and fumaroles. Stay for #sunset, and you won’t be disappointed. In this picture, sunset paints the sky in vibrant colors. Photo of @yellowstonenps courtesy of Venkatreddy Kancharla. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1NeEpO5

One of the most scenic parkways in America, #NatchezTrace Parkway runs 444 miles through #Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Passing stunning landscapes and pausing at hidden cultural treasures, traveling the Trace is a pleasure by foot, bike and car. Particularly beautiful in the spring and fall, we recommend visiting the #CypressSwamp around Halloween for a little dose of spooky fun. #NationalParkService photo. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Od95Rm

IC 1871: Inside the Soul Nebula IC 1871: Inside the Soul Nebula

This cosmic close-up looks deep inside the Soul Nebula. The dark and brooding dust clouds outlined by bright ridges of glowing gas are cataloged as IC 1871. About 25 light-years across, the telescopic field of view spans only a small part of the much larger Heart and Soul nebulae. At an estimated distance of 6,500 light-years the star-forming complex lies within the Perseus spiral arm of the Milky Way, seen in planet Earth's skies toward the constellation Cassiopeia. An example of triggered star formation, the dense star-forming clouds of IC 1871 are themselves sculpted by the intense winds and radiation of the region's massive young stars. This color image adopts a palette made popular in Hubble images of star-forming regions. via NASA http://ift.tt/1kdERR7

Happy #NationalCatDay! 😸 We’re celebrating with this dramatic photo of a thirsty bobcat at #LagunaAtascosa National #WildlifeRefuge. Laguna Atascosa is located in deep South #Texas -- an area that is considered to be one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America. The @usfws refuge is home to an impressive 417 species of birds, 45 mammals (including #bobcats and #ocelots), 44 kinds of reptiles, 130 butterfly and 450 plant species. Photo by Steve Sinclair (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1inMumS

When the sun rises over St. Marks National #WildlifeRefuge in October, it is greeted by autumn wildflowers, migrating butterflies and a great variety of birds. Northern harriers fly over the refuge #marshes looking for prey, careful to avoid landing near alligators. It is a #beautiful and #peaceful place, found on the border of fresh and saltwater marshes in northern #Florida. Photo by Betsy Kellenberger (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). Want to be featured on @USInterior’s account? We’re partnering with @CBSThisMorning to share amazing sunrise photo from America’s national parks and other public lands. Tag your photos with #SunriseThisMorning for a chance to have one of your photos appear on our feeds! by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/20d6SZU

Autumn at #AbramsFalls is something special. Located in the #CadesCove part of #GreatSmokyMountains National Park, the trail to the falls traverses pine-oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. At the end, you’re rewarded with stunning views of @greatsmokynps’s Abrams Falls. Photo by Monica Noll (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). 🍁🍂 by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1SabUBf

Happy 129th birthday to Lady Liberty! On this day in 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially dedicated, becoming a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. In 1924, it was designated as a #NationalMonument. For more photos of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, follow @statueellisnps. Photo by Paul Ganas, National Park Service. 🎂🗽 by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1XyOp7X

Bright from the Heart Nebula Bright from the Heart Nebula

What's that inside the Heart Nebula? First, the large emission nebula dubbed IC 1805 looks, in whole, like a human heart. The nebula glows brightly in red light emitted by its most prominent element: hydrogen. The red glow and the larger shape are all created by a small group of stars near the nebula's center. In the center of the Heart Nebula are young stars from the open star cluster Melotte 15 that are eroding away several picturesque dust pillars with their energetic light and winds. The open cluster of stars contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of our Sun, many dim stars only a fraction of the mass of our Sun, and an absent microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago. The Heart Nebula is located about 7,500 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia. At the top right is the companion Fishhead Nebula. via NASA http://ift.tt/1jNXN9y

Enter the quiet of the boreal forest and wander beneath spruce and fir trees. Perch on a rock and experience #LakeSuperior’s moods, which shape and change the area’s rugged shoreline. After a day of kayaking, explore the night sky and witness the #MilkyWay sparkling overhead. This is this northeastern end of #IsleRoyale #NationalPark in #Michigan. Photo from Rock Harbor by Carl TerHaar (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). 🚣⛺️🌌 by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1PT55Vq

On his birthday, we celebrate President #TeddyRoosevelt and his leadership on public lands and #conservation. Few people have done more to protect and promote America’s great outdoors. His legacy lives on in national monuments, wildlife refuges, conservation areas and national parks like this one in #NorthDakota that bears his name -- #TheodoreRoosevelt #NationalPark. Photo by Viktor Posnov (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl) by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1idekSD

Charon and the Small Moons of Pluto Charon and the Small Moons of Pluto

What do the moons of Pluto look like? Before a decade ago, only the largest moon Charon was known, but never imaged. As the robotic New Horizons spacecraft was prepared and launched, other moons were identified on Hubble images but remained only specks of light. Finally, this past summer, New Horizons swept right past Pluto, photographed Pluto and Charon in detail, and took the best images of Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra that it could. The featured image composite shows the results -- each moon is seen to have a distinct shape, while underlying complexity is only hinted. Even though not satisfyingly resolved, these images are likely to be the best available to humanity for some time. This is because the moons are too small and distant for contemporary Earth-based telescopes to resolve, and no new missions to the Pluto system are planned. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Rx1n1X

#Sunset illuminates the Doll House at #Canyonlands National Park in #Utah. Photo by #NationalPark Service. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1N3hLIo

Prairie dogs are social animals, living in large underground networks called “towns.” When they spot something alarming, they give warning with short barks. Because of a drastic decline in the 20th century, wildlife managers are making repopulation attempts at places like #WichitaMountains #WildlifeRefuge in #Oklahoma, seen here. Photo by Larry Smith (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). #cute #prairiedogs #wildlife by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1LwZWiB

Jupiter and Venus from Earth Jupiter and Venus from Earth

It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived on Earth. Anyone on the planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. Pictured above in 2012, a creative photographer traveled away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to image a near closest approach of the two planets. The bright planets were separated only by three degrees and his daughter striking a humorous pose. A faint red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus will be at it again this week before sunrise, passing under two degree from each other -- and even with bonus planet Mars nearby. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Wc2meH

It’s really hard not to fall in love with #Yosemite National Park in #California. From #ValleyView, you can look up #YosemiteValley from alongside the Merced River -- it’ll leave you breathless. Photo @yosemitenps courtesy of Jonathan Basiago (@jonathanbasiago). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1k2TRBa

Jupiter in 2015 Jupiter in 2015

Two remarkable global maps of Jupiter's banded cloud tops can be compared by just sliding your cursor over this sharp projection (or follow this link) of image data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Both captured on January 19, during back-to-back 10 hour rotations of the ruling gas giant, the all-planet projections represent the first in a series of planned annual portraits by the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program. Comparing the two highlights cloud movements and measures wind speeds in the planet's dynamic atmosphere. In fact, the Great Red Spot, the famous long-lived swirling storm boasting 300 mile per hour winds, is seen sporting a rotating, twisting filament. The images confirm that Great Red Spot is still shrinking, though still larger than planet Earth. Posing next to it (lower right) is Oval BA, also known as Red Spot Junior. via NASA http://ift.tt/1NZpVTA

A rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through deep canyons, the #NewRiver in #WestVirginia is among the oldest rivers on the continent. The New River Gorge #NationalRiver encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along the New River, is rich in cultural and natural history, and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities. Photo by Adam Jewell (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/204Dc10

Starburst Galaxy Messier 94 Starburst Galaxy Messier 94

Beautiful island universe Messier 94 lies a mere 15 million light-years distant in the northern constellation of the hunting dogs, Canes Venatici. A popular target for earth-based astronomers, the face-on spiral galaxy is about 30,000 light-years across, with spiral arms sweeping through the outskirts of its broad disk. But this Hubble Space Telescope field of view spans about 7,000 light-years or so across M94's central region. The sharp close-up examines the galaxy's compact, bright nucleus and prominent inner dust lanes, surrounded by a remarkable bluish ring of young, massive stars. The massive stars in the ring are all likely less than 10 million years old, indicating the galaxy experienced a well-defined era of rapid star formation. As a result, while the small, bright nucleus is typical of the Seyfert class of active galaxies, M94 is also known as a starburst galaxy. Because M94 is relatively nearby, astronomers can explore in detail reasons for the galaxy's burst of star formation. via NASA http://ift.tt/1PL9wS0

Rocky beaches, giant drift logs, pounding waves and views of offshore islands known as seastacks are features that define #Olympic #NationalPark’s Rialto Beach. The sunsets are also pretty amazing at this #Washington landmark. After trekking through 1 1/2 miles of large collapsed tree trunks east of #Rialto Beach, photographer Marco Crupi made it to this spectacular location just in time for sunset. It definitely looks like it was worth the effort. Photo by Marco Crupi (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1PM4THo

Featuring a half-mile deep geologic amphitheater and bristlecone pines more than 1,000 years old, #CedarBreaks #NationalMonument in #Utah makes for a terrific adventure. The Scenic Drive is an outstanding way to see fall foliage, but usually closes in mid-November after the first heavy snowfall. In winter, there are great trails for cross-country skiers and snowmobiles. Photo by Jay Wanta (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl) by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1XovBZ0

Star Factory Messier 17 Star Factory Messier 17

Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, the star factory known as Messier 17 lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this 1/3 degree wide field of view spans over 30 light-years. The sharp composite, color image, highlights faint details of the region's gas and dust clouds against a backdrop of central Milky Way stars. Stellar winds and energetic light from hot, massive stars formed from M17 stock of cosmic gas and dust have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material producing the cavernous appearance and undulating shapes. M17 is also known as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula. via NASA http://ift.tt/1OKwXfd

Moose in the mist at #Seedskadee National #WildlifeRefuge in #Wyoming. Through the heavy fog in the river valley, this large bull #moose was spotted eating its breakfast of leaves and branches near the refuge’s headquarters. Photo by Tom Koerner, @USFWS. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1RZOH4A

Quaking aspens provide beautiful scenery and a rich habitat for wildlife. Aspen, the most widely distributed tree in North America, are one of the few deciduous trees hearty enough to survive in a harsh environment of Rocky Mountain #NationalPark in #Colorado. One of the most striking characteristics of the aspen is the beautiful splashes of fall color it adds to the mountainsides. This magical color change starts in early September and can last into October. Photo of @rockynps courtesy of Jacob W. Frank (@jacobwfrank). Want to be featured on @USInterior’s account? We’re partnering with @CBSThisMorning to share amazing sunrise photo from America’s national parks and other public lands. Tag your photos with #SunriseThisMorning for a chance to have one of your photos appear on our feeds! by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1kvBzsT

The Fractured North Pole of Saturns Enceladus The Fractured North Pole of Saturns Enceladus

The north pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus is unexpectedly fascinating and complex. Previous to the latest flyby of the robotic Cassini spacecraft, the northern region was known mostly for its unusually high abundance of craters. Last week's flyby, however, returned images of unprecedented detail, including the featured image showing the expected craters coupled with an unexpected and circuitous pattern of picturesque cracks and fractures. Broken terrain has been recorded at lower latitudes, with deep canyons dubbed Tiger Stripes near Enceladus' South Pole. The fractures may further indicate global interplay between the surface and potential seas underneath, seas that future missions might target for signs of life. via NASA http://ift.tt/1LL60Fu

A visit to #BighornCanyon National Recreation Area can be summed up in a single word -- Stunning. With more than 120,000 acres, @bighorncanynps offers visitors a chance to explore a diverse landscape with spectacular views. Pictured here is a must-see at Bighorn Canyon: Devil Canyon Overlook. For photographer Andy Austin (@andyaustinphoto), it’s one of his favorite places in #Montana because it’s a place of pure solitude. “Every #sunset and #sunrise I shoot here, I'm the only person there. It's a true hidden gem in this state.” Photo by Andy Austin (@andyaustinphoto). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1MEWEru

It’s #Reptile Awareness Day! There are more than 10,000 species of reptiles living on every continent except Antarctica. An important part of many ecosystems, they are predators and prey, as well as pollinators and pest controllers. With unique blends of shapes, sizes, habits and colorations, they are fascinating animals to study. Just look at this collared lizard in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in #Colorado. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1NUzdjR

Established in 1932 as a migratory bird refuge, #CapeRomain National #WildlifeRefuge encompasses a 22-mile segment of the southeast Atlantic coast. The #SouthCarolina refuge consists of 66,287 acres of barrier islands, salt marshes, intricate coastal waterways, long sandy #beaches and maritime forest. It’s a great place for birds to live and people to visit. Photo of #sunset at #BoneyardBeach by Ben Sumrell. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1W5AOrs

The Narrows is one of the most popular areas of Zion #NationalPark in #Utah, and we can definitely see why. #TheNarrows is surrounded by the soaring walls of the #Zion Canyon and spans 20-30 feet wide in parts. To get this great shot of The Narrows, Evan Kokoska (@evankokoska) started his day at 4 am -- early enough to hike to the part of The Narrows with good morning light and gorgeous fall colors. Photo @zionnps courtesy of Evan Kokoska (@evankokoska). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1hRoxEb

Just 12 miles west of #LasVegas, the colorful, bare sandstone of the aptly named #RainbowMountain #Wilderness emerges from the valley floor -- standing guard over the surrounding pinyon-juniper forest and #Mojave Desert scrub below. Its sheer, towering red and white cliffs are cut by rugged, narrow, twisting canyons lined with willow, ash and hackberry trees. With wispy clouds pouring over the mountains, it is quite a view. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1RU4Ico

The Southern Cross in a Southern Sky The Southern Cross in a Southern Sky

Have you ever seen the Southern Cross? This famous constellation is best seen from Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Captured from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the four bright stars that mark the Southern Cross are visible just above the horizon in the featured image. On the left of this constellation, also known as The Crux, is the orange star Gamma Crucis. The band of stars, dust, and gas rising through the middle of the image mosaic is part our Milky Way Galaxy. Just to the right of the Southern Cross is the dark Coal Sack Nebula, and the bright nebula at the top of the image is the Carina Nebula. The Southern Cross is such a famous constellation that it is depicted on the national flags of Australia and New Zealand. via NASA http://ift.tt/1XeQ2Y5

#KingsCanyon #NationalPark in #California is the land of giants. This dramatic landscape testifies to nature's size, beauty, and diversity -- huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees. 🌲 Tiffany Nguyen (@Tiffpenguin) captured this stunning photo a few weeks ago of the sun bursting through the towering #sequoia trees. Photo courtesy of Tiffany Nguyen (@Tiffpenguin). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1PCIkF1

Across the country, forests are showing their fall colors. Yellow, orange, red and brown leaves are changing the landscapes and giving us quite a show. Amazing vistas are easy to find. An hour’s drive and a short hike can place you in an enchanting scene like this one in #Virginia’s #Shenandoah #NationalPark. Make time to take time and enjoy these colors while they last. Photo by National Park Service. For more great photos, check out our @stellerstories at http://ift.tt/1z2D3kz by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Lk9s8A

Mammatus Clouds Over Saskatchewan Mammatus Clouds Over Saskatchewan

Why is this cloud so bubbly? Normally, cloud bottoms are flat. The flatness is caused by moist warm air that rises and cools and so condenses into water droplets at a specific temperature, which usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow, an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially dramatic if sunlit from the side. These mammatus clouds were photographed over Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada during the summer of 2012. via NASA http://ift.tt/1MMhglP

This time of year, early winter and dark skies descend on #Denali National Park in #Alaska, leaving visitors in awe of the night sky. In this photo, the #fullmoon rises over @denali.nps’s snow-covered mountains. Photo by Katie Thoresen, #NationalPark Service. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1PA63pp

Bright Spiral Galaxy M81 Bright Spiral Galaxy M81

One of the brightest galaxies in planet Earth's sky is similar in size to our Milky Way Galaxy: big, beautiful M81. The grand spiral galaxy can be found toward the northern constellation of the Great Bear (Ursa Major). This superbly detailed image reveals M81's bright yellow nucleus, blue spiral arms, tell tale pinkish star forming regions, and sweeping cosmic dust lanes with a scale comparable to the Milky Way. Hinting at a disorderly past, a remarkable dust lane actually runs straight through the disk, to the left of the galactic center, contrary to M81's other prominent spiral features. The errant dust lane may be the lingering result of a close encounter between between M81 and its smaller companion galaxy, M82. Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 has yielded one of the best determined distances for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years. M81's dwarf companion galaxy Holmberg IX can be seen just above the large spiral. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Gb5eBs

More than 800 rocks, reefs and small islands off the #Washington coast make up #QuillayuteNeedles National #WildlifeRefuge. The refuge was set aside by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907 to protect habitat for struggling seabird populations. Today the islands swell with raucous flocks of migrating seabirds in excess of a million during fall and spring migrations. With a 200-yard buffer zone around each island to protect the wildlife, this @usfws refuge is best enjoyed from the beach with spectacular #sunset views like this one. Photo by Melissa Hahn (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl) by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1OLeRI8

Night Hides the World Night Hides the World

Stars come out as evening twilight fades in this serene skyscape following the Persian proverb "Night hides the world, but reveals a universe." The scene finds the Sun setting over northern Kenya and the night will soon hide the shores of Lake Turkana, home to many Nile crocodiles. The region is also known for its abundance of hominid fossils. On that past November night, a brilliant Venus, then the world's evening star, dominates the starry skies above. But also revealed are faint stars, cosmic dust clouds, and glowing nebulae along the graceful arc of our own Milky Way galaxy. via NASA http://ift.tt/1RMjRfG

The night sky is a glittering dome peppered with #stars, planets and passing meteors. 🌟🌠 #JoshuaTree #NationalPark boasts some of the darkest skies in Southern #California, offering visitors the chance to view the #MilkyWay over the park’s iconic Joshua Trees. This weekend, explore @joshuatreenps’s dark skies as part of the park’s Night Sky Festival. Photo by Manish Mamtani (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1jt2HZj

Judging from this picture, even for the #wildlife, Philly can be a tough town. Over 1.7 million people live within 10 miles of John Heinz National #WildlifeRefuge. Established to preserve Tinicum Marsh in #Philadelphia, it is America’s first urban refuge. Surrounded by the cityscape, the refuge is a thriving sanctuary teeming with a rich diversity of fish, wildlife and plants native to the Delaware Estuary. Healthy and productive expanses of freshwater tidal marsh, open waters, mudflats and woodlands support the hundreds of species that breed, rear their young, rest during migration or call the refuge home year-round. Photo by Frank Miles, @USFWS. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Le4tqb

M16 and the Eagle Nebula M16 and the Eagle Nebula

A star cluster around 2 million years young surrounded by natal clouds of dust and glowing gas, M16 is also known as The Eagle Nebula. This beautifully detailed image of the region includes cosmic sculptures made famous in Hubble Space Telescope close-ups of the starforming complex. Described as elephant trunks or Pillars of Creation, dense, dusty columns rising near the center are light-years in length but are gravitationally contracting to form stars. Energetic radiation from the cluster stars erodes material near the tips, eventually exposing the embedded new stars. Extending from the ridge of bright emission left of center is another dusty starforming column known as the Fairy of Eagle Nebula. M16 and the Eagle Nebula lie about 7,000 light-years away, an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes in a nebula rich part of the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake). via NASA http://ift.tt/1OEGdzJ

One of the most spectacular spots at #NorthCascades #NationalPark in #Washington is Easy Pass and Fisher Basin area. Here @ncascadesnps’s extensive meadows are crowned by glacial peaks. Don’t let the area’s name fool you -- the short, steep trail to the pass is anything but easy. The effort is definitely worth the reward: Breathtaking panoramic vistas of #FisherBasin with snow-capped peaks in the background. In the spring and early summer, wildflowers abound, and in the autumn, golden larches make this area even more special. Photo of by Jim Armstrong (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1QyvqGo

This tie-dye sunrise is what mornings are like at Key Deer National #WildlifeRefuge. The refuge was established in 1957 to protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the #Florida Keys. It currently consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, mangrove forests and absolutely stunning views. Photo by refuge volunteer Mickey Foster. Want to be featured on @USInterior’s account? We’re partnering with @CBSThisMorning to share amazing sunrise photo from America’s national parks and other public lands. Tag your photos with #SunriseThisMorning for a chance to have one of your photos appear on our feeds! by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Nevt9N

A Gegenschein Lunar Eclipse A Gegenschein Lunar Eclipse

Is there anything interesting to see in the direction opposite the Sun? One night last month, there were quite a few things. First, the red-glowing orb on the lower right of the featured image is the full moon, darkened and reddened because it has entered Earth's shadow. Beyond Earth's cone of darkness are backscattering dust particles orbiting the Sun that standout with a diffuse glow called the gegenschein, visible as a faint band rising from the central horizon and passing behind the Moon. A nearly horizontal stripe of green airglow is also discernable just above the horizon, partly blocked by blowing orange sand. Visible in the distant sky as the blue dot near the top of the image is the star Sirius, while the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy arches up on the image left and down again on the right. The fuzzy light patches just left of center are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Red emission nebulas too numerous to mention are scattered about the sky, but are labelled in a companion annotated image. In the image foreground is the desolate Deadvlei region of the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia, featuring the astrophotographer himself surveying a land and sky so amazing that he described it as one of the top experiences of his life. via NASA http://ift.tt/1jod2FX

Settlers on #Michigan’s Upper Peninsula tried for decades to tame the land. It was logged, burned, drained and farmed, but in the end, nature beat them all back. A peace was found in 1935 when Seney #NationalWildlife Refuge was established. Now, over 95,000 acres provide habitats to migratory birds and other wildlife. Visitors can explore on foot, bikes, and by kayak, spotting birds and taking incredible pictures like this one. Photo by Dawn Kopp. by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1k4SfHv

The Elephant's Trunk in IC 1396 The Elephant's Trunk in IC 1396

Like an illustration in a galactic Just So Story, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula winds through the emission nebula and young star cluster complex IC 1396, in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus. Of course, the cosmic elephant's trunk is over 20 light-years long. This composite was recorded through narrow band filters that transmit the light from ionized hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen atoms in the region. The resulting image highlights the bright swept-back ridges that outline pockets of cool interstellar dust and gas. Such embedded, dark, tendril-shaped clouds contain the raw material for star formation and hide protostars within the obscuring cosmic dust. Nearly 3,000 light-years distant, the relatively faint IC 1396 complex covers a large region on the sky, spanning over 5 degrees. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Moutg5

#BryceCanyon #NationalPark in #Utah is the ultimate place to explore the wonders of the night sky. Here the #MilkyWay extends from horizon to horizon like a vast rainbow, and on a moonless night, visitors can see 7,500 stars. David Lane captured this spectacular panorama (it’s made up of 25 individual photos stitched together) of the stars sparkling over the canyon (@brycecanyonnps). And the colorful red and green swirls in the sky that look like the aurora: it’s a phenomenon called airglow. Photo courtesy of David Lane. 🌌 by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1K7sRpu

You never know what you’ll see and what you’ll miss at Okefenokee #NationalWildlife Refuge in #Georgia. Exploring the wilds of this unique swamp takes patience. Walk carefully, paddle slowly and look everywhere. Historically damaged, the refuge is on the road to recovery and home to endangered alligators and tortoises. Loud Sandhill Cranes are easy to find, but you might have to look hard to see Eastern screech owls like these cute owlets. Photo by Graham McGeorge (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl) by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1MoLhDO

Kicking off the week with this stunning sunrise at Reflection Lakes at Mount Rainier #NationalPark in #Washington. This area of the park is famous for its great hiking trails and spectacular views of #MountRainier reflected in subalpine lakes. Photo by Xavier Cohen (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1jrGM44