National Geographic released its annual “Pictures of the Year” issue this week, showcasing 20 of the approximately 2.3 million images that depict stunning scenes of nature, wildlife, and humans’ connection to the world.
Here are CNBC’s picks of the best.
leap of faith
A young emperor penguin jumps off a 50-foot cliff to swim for the first time.
Source: Bertie Gregory for National Geographic
With “a lot of perseverance and a lot more luck” Bertie Gregory managed to capture the moment a young emperor penguin jumped off a 50ft cliff to swim for the first time.
As climate change changes their environment, emperor penguins are increasingly migrating from low-lying ice to higher, more permanent ice shelves, according to National Geographic.
Reports say the chicks’ parents left them a month ago and they are learning to hunt on their own.
“Have a lot of patience”
The little ant uses its jaws to emerge from the cocoon.
Source: Ingo Arndt for National Geographic
At the University of Konstanz in Germany, photographer Ingo Arndt took a closer look at ant colonies that are usually hidden in forests.
There she captures the hatchling and uses its jaws to open its cocoon, before the adult female helps it break free from the rest of the cocoon.
“To take this photo, you had to work under controlled conditions in a laboratory. I built a mini carpenter ant nest there, so I was able to take this photo very patiently,” Arndt said.
‘A strong sense of urgency’
A scientist holds a 70-day-old rhino fetus conceived through in vitro fertilization.
Source: Ami Vitale for National Geographic
In January, scientists biological rescue The project involves transplanting southern white rhino embryos into female southern white rhinos. But before the pregnancy was confirmed, the rhino died from a bacterial infection. Scientists later discovered the 70-day-old fetus.
Still, scientists are hopeful that a successful conception might help save the endangered northern white rhinoceros. According to National Geographic, there are only two left.
Ami Vitale has been reporting on this story for the past 15 years.
“Realizing that we are on the verge of losing not just rhinos, but countless other species instills in me a deep sense of urgency and recognition of our shared responsibility,” she said. “I hope this work will have Help raise awareness of the pressing challenges facing our planet.”
backlit stars
Concan, Texas
The Frio Bat Cave in Texas is the spring and summer home to approximately 10 million Mexican free-tailed bats.
Source: Babak Tafreshi for National Geographic
Home to 10 million bats, the Frio Bat Cave is one of the largest bat colonies in the world, although its population sometimes doubles during the summer.
These Mexican free-tailed bats leave their caves at sunset, feed primarily on moths, and perform nightly rituals that can take up to three hours. Babak Tafreshi said dozens of bats emerge from the cave every second, and he took this photo by using a 30-second exposure and multiple soft flashes to show the bats, They are also backlit by the constellations Orion and Taurus in the night sky.
“I learned a lot about bats in this project. How smart they are, how precise their flight paths are. How productive they are to the ecosystem, local farmers and the Texas economy,” he told us CNBC Travel.
When cold and warm collide
Fanning Springs State Park, Florida
After sunrise, mullet and mullet move between light and dark waters at the confluence of Florida’s Suwannee River and Fanning Spring.
Source: Jason Gurley
This photo was taken on an early winter morning when the warm spring water joins the dark, cold water of the Suwannee River.
Photographer Jason Gulley said he put on a dry suit, jumped into the water and waited motionless to photograph the fish dancing between warm and cold temperatures.
“Years of spring experience on the Suwannee River taught me that I was going to have unique and visually stunning conditions that morning,” Gulley told CNBC Travel.
“The benefit of shooting in my backyard is that I have had years to learn how different water levels, seasons and weather affect the environment.”
fuel from the sun
Jülich, Germany
Researchers behind the solar-powered synthetic fluid say it has huge potential to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Source: Davide Monteleone
According to National Geographic , a solar-powered synthetic fluid made from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide could one day power trucks, ships and planes without having to modify their engines.
In June, Swiss company Synhelion opened the world’s first industrial-scale factory to produce alternative energy.
“This photo attempts to abstractly represent fuel produced from two simple and basic elements: air and sun. I took this photo in a makeshift studio at a company facility, using mirrors to support fuel droplets, and Gradient light to evoke the sun and sky,” says photographer Davide Monteleone.
‘I felt and heard the rumble’
Antigua, Guatemala
Fuego volcano has been erupting regularly since 2002.
Source: Peter Fisher, National Geographic
Peter Fisher says carrying 45 pounds of camera gear to hike to Fuego’s dormant twin Acatenango to capture this photo was one of the most difficult things he’s ever experienced one.
But this timely break to catch our breath proved to be a serendipitous moment.
“About 30 seconds after I stopped, I felt and heard a rumble and then saw lava shooting into the sky. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” he told CNBC. “The sun was just setting, so you could still see the silhouettes of the other climbers, and if I had continued climbing, the change in perspective would have made their bodies disappear into the black ash surrounding them.”
Fisher said a friend who was climbing with him used a flashlight to add “a nice glow” in the foreground.
He said it was “one of those moments you can’t plan for, but everything just comes together just right.”
The cover of National Geographic’s December 2024 “Pictures of the Year” issue shows researchers at the Bangolo Caves in Gabon.
Source: Robbie Shine for National Geographic
To see more from National Geographic’s 2024 Pictures of the Year, visit NatGeo.com/photo.
