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Paris, France
Chapel of Expiation
48.8737, 2.3233
Rīga, Latvia
Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum
56.9417, 24.1183
Cairo, Egypt
House of Egyptian Architecture
30.0325, 31.2583
Smygehuk, Sweden
Smygehuk Fyr
55.3386, 13.3528
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Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts
Atlas Obscura’s Guide to America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries
It All Comes Together in Chattanooga
Sponsored By Chattanooga Tourism
The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway
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62 Items Tagged
Abstract Wonder
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photography
The 2024 Nikon Small World Winners Are Big on Wonder
The beloved photomicrography competition celebrates its 50th year with bubbly cannabis plants, vivid cellular architecture, and...Grimace? Is that you?
islands
On Antarctica's Vega Island, a Grinning Skull Is the Face of Climate Change
Satellite imagery recently captured a dramatic view of shrinking glaciers and snow cover on the remote island.
underwater
How the Best Underwater Photography Reveals a World of Wonder
Welcome to the home of pink coral-scapes and fluorescent lizardfish.
science
Marine Stratocumulus Clouds May Be the Most Important Clouds on Earth
These common formations create abstract designs and reveal important patterns of environmental change, big and small.
islands
Can Loktak Lake's Wondrous Floating Islands Bounce Back?
A photographer's drone's-eye image of the famous phumdis of northeastern India shows a unique environment undergoing change.
nature
Our Favorite Abstract Wonders of 2022
Mesmerizing photographs show the beauty of our wild, fragile planet.
science
Through an Artist’s Eye, Scientific Tools Help Tell Vital Stories
Striking work by photographer Richard Mosse shows how merging art and technology can cut through dry data.
maps
From Space, Mont Saint-Michel Stars in a Wild Impressionist Painting
During the winter months, the iconic French site casts a perfect shadow on a bay full of history—and quicksand.
science
These Tiny Jewels Come From One of Alaska's Most Unusual Beaches
This microscopic treasure was collected from a remote site near the Arctic Circle.
science
How Water, Wind, and Chance Sculpted an Icy Work of Art
Lake stars, ice rings, and other natural phenomena brought magic to a small Slovenian lake.
unesco
Catalonia's Human Tower Tradition Starts With a Strong Base
Castell-building has been a tradition in the Spanish region for centuries.
birds
Vivid Images Capture A Stunning Shift in San Francisco's Salty South Bay
An ambitious wetlands restoration project attempts to balance a return to the area's ecological past and the realities of a changing future.
science
The Next Generation of a Rare Frog Captured in a Poetic Portrait
Embryos of one of the world's most unusual amphibians become art in the eyes of a biologist and wildlife photographer.
horticulture
Southern Spain’s ‘Sea of Plastic’ May Actually Cool the Local Climate
The world’s largest array of greenhouses has transformed the region economically, and in other, unforeseen ways.
islands
The Curious Case of the Arctic Desert Island That's Not Actually an Island
No one is sure how this geological oddity got there.
volcanoes
This Remote, Active Volcano Is a Glassblowing Spider
Alaska’s Great Sitkin has been grumbling for nearly a year.
science
This Bird's Mating Dance Is Full of Stomp and Pomp
The great argus uses its unusual wing feathers to maximum, eye-catching effect.
science
The Wild and Wonderful Whorls of Brash Ice
Wandering currents and spring thaws make sea ice in East Greenland look like curls of smoke.
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