Take a trip to Aroostook National #WildlifeRefuge, where #moose wander through the foggy forests and birds fly overhead. The @usfws refuge abuts the northeastern edge of the Northern #Maine Forest and is well known for its abundance of boreal bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian and rare plant species. Photo courtesy of Sharon Wallace. #findyourpark by usinterior

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With miles of glistening dunes, White Sands National Monument in #NewMexico is like no place else on Earth. Stroll across soft waves of gypsum sand on a hike or bring a sled for the ride of a lifetime. Be sure to stay for colorful #sunsets like this one that stretch across an unbelievable landscape. Photo by Thomas Piekunka (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior

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Cassini Approaches Saturn Cassini Approaches Saturn

Cassini, a robot spacecraft launched in 1997 by NASA, became close enough in 2002 to resolve many rings and moons of its destination planet: Saturn. At that time, Cassini snapped several images during an engineering test. Several of those images were combined into the contrast-enhanced color composite featured here. Saturn's rings and cloud-tops are visible toward the image bottom, while Titan, its largest moon, is visible as the speck toward the top. When arriving at Saturn in July 2004, the Cassini orbiter began to circle and study the Saturnian system. A highlight was when Cassini launched the Huygens probe that made an unprecedented landing on Titan in 2005, sending back detailed pictures. Now nearing the end of its mission, Cassini is scheduled to embark on a Grand Finale phase in late 2016 where it will repeatedly dive between the giant planet and its innermost rings. via NASA http://ift.tt/1XoVNCc

Is there anything cuter than this baby #fox at Great Swamp National #WildlifeRefuge? 🐺 Located in #newjersey just 26 miles from New York City's Times Square, the refuge consists of more than 7,700 acres of habitat for birds, deer, turtles and foxes, like this adorable kit. Photo by Ashleigh Scully via @usfws. #findyourpark by usinterior

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A Green Flash of Spring A Green Flash of Spring

Taken on March 20 from the top of Haleakala on the isle of Maui, planet Earth, the first sunrise of northern spring is pictured in this vacation snapshot. The telephoto view from the volcanic caldera above a sea of clouds also captures an elusive green flash near the Sun's upper limb. Atmospheric layers with sharp temperature changes cause the colorful flash as the Sun rises behind a distant cloud bank. Refraction along sight lines through the layers creates multiple distorted images of the Sun, and for a moment, can visibly deflect shorter wavelength green light. via NASA http://ift.tt/1RKyvGz

A gorgeous spring scene from #PointReyes National Seashore in #California. This pic is so beautiful, it's almost as if you can the smell the blooming #flowers and feel the warmth of the setting sun on your skin. Everything else just melts away. As photographer Nick Steinberg says, “Every time I'm there, I feel like the only one on earth.” Photo courtesy of Nick Steinberg (@nicholassteinbergphotography). #findyourpark by usinterior

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Lapland Northern Lights Lapland Northern Lights

Early spring in the northern hemisphere is good season for aurora hunters. Near an equinox Earth's magnetic field is oriented to favor interactions with the solar wind that trigger the alluring glow of the northern lights. On March 28/29 the skies over Kaunispää Hill, Lapland, Finland did not disappoint. That night's expansive auroral curtains are captured in this striking panoramic view that covers a full 360 degrees. Local skywatchers were mesmerized by bright displays lasted throughout the dark hours, shimmering with colors easily visible to the naked eye. via NASA http://ift.tt/1SjdtKS

Here’s an otherworldly shot of the night sky at #JoshuaTree #NationalPark in #California. To celebrate the start of the #MilkyWay season in the U.S., Evan Kokoska (@evankokoska) ventured to @joshuatreenps's Barker Dam in early March. At about 3 am, he got a got break in the clouds for a decent viewing of the Milky Way before it was gone again. Photo courtesy of Evan Kokoska (@evankokoska). #findyourpark by usinterior

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Lush green ferns frame the entrance to Thurston Lava Tube, a popular attraction at #Hawaii Volcanoes #NationalPark (@hawaiivolcanoesnps). Several hundred years ago, a river of red lava rushed through this channel, creating a cave-like wonder. This #volcanic remnant is named for local newspaper publisher Lorrin Thurston, who discovered the lava tube in 1913. Photo courtesy of Zachary Henderson (@zhndrsn). by usinterior

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Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte

Named for the three astronomers instrumental in its discovery and identification, Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte (WLM) is a lonely dwarf galaxy. Seen toward the mostly southern constellation Cetus, about 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, it is one of the most remote members of our local galaxy group. In fact, it may never have interacted with any other local group galaxy. Still, telltale pinkish star forming regions and hot, young, bluish stars speckle the isolated island universe. Older, cool yellowish stars fade into the small galaxy's halo, extending about 8,000 light-years across. This sharp portrait of WLM was captured by the 268-megapixel OmegaCAM widefield imager and survey telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory. via NASA http://ift.tt/1VA8lrp