the aurora borealis (also called the northern lights) consists of awe-inspiring twirls of light in the sky, caused by 'solar wind' -- electrically charged particles interacting with earth's magnetic field. the aurora borealis can be up to 2,000 miles wide, but it fluctuates in size, shape, and color, with green being the most common color close to the horizon while purples and reds appear higher. named after aurora, roman goddess of dawn, and boreas, greek god of the north wind, these ribbons of color are best viewed in northern climates like alaska but have been seen as far south as arizona.

ancient giant sequoia trees are nature's ever-growing wonders. giant sequoias grow naturally on the western slopes of california's sierra nevada mountains at elevations from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. some are as tall as a 26-story building, with their trunks spanning up to 100 feet and the bark on the older specimens reaching two to four feet thick. california's sequoia national park is home to several noteworthy giants, including the general sherman, which is the world's largest tree by volume, measuring 274.9 feet high, almost 103 feet around, and comprising 52,508 cubic feet of wood. giant sequoia trees are estimated to be between 1,800 and 2,700 years old. depending on the tree and where it is situated, giant sequoias can grow up to two feet in height every year, producing almost 40 cu

@lord_voldemort7

was a blind pure-bred Chinese Crested hairless dog, and three time champion of the annual Sonoma-Marin Fair World's Ugliest Dog Contest in Northern California in 2003–2005. His ugliness gained him international fame and celebrity – his death was a top headline on major news websites.

@llltunechl

@nicunico

the grand canyon in northwestern arizona was formed by the erosive power of the weather and the colorado river and its tributaries as they scoured away billion-year-old rocks. although known to native americans for thousands of years, the vast gorge was not discovered by the first spanish explorers until 1540. grand canyon national park was established in 1919, preserving the more than 1.2 million acres of colorful cliffs and waterways that are home to 75 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles and amphibians, 25 species of fish, and more than 300 species of birds. the canyon stretches 277 miles, with some sections reaching a mile deep and 18 miles across. more than five million visitors view the canyon annually, often hiking or riding mules down to the canyon floor, while the more adve

paricutin provides one of nature's best lessons in how volatile earth is. exploding out of a mexican cornfield in 1943, paricutin was the first known volcano to have witnesses at its birth. within a year, the cone had grown to more than 1,100 feet high. the flow eventually spread over 10 square miles, engulfing the nearby towns of paricutin and san juan parangaricutiro. the eruptions ceased in 1952, and the cone now soars 1,345 feet high.

Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent.

Barcalona. Not even completed and it's already the most amazing architectural achievement of mankind. Gaudí's original design calls for a total of eighteen spires, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles,[32] the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. Eight spires have been built as of 2010, corresponding to four apostles at the Nativity façade and four apostles at the Passion façade.

New Orleans. Immaculate Conception church, locally known as Jesuit church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. The church is located at 130 Baronne Street, and is part of the local Jesuit community. The present church, completed in 1930, is a near duplicate of an earlier 1850s church on the same site. Immaculate Conception church was built and designed in the Neo-Venetian Gothic style of Gothic Revival architecture, with Moorish Revival and Byzantine Revival elements.

Nasty buggers.

The Serengeti hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world, which helps secure it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. The Serengeti is also renowned for its large lion population and is one of the best places to observe prides in their natural environment. The region contains the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and several game reserves.

Milford Sound is located in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island. Although called a sound, it is more accurately classified as a fjord. Milford Sound, the most famous tourist site of New Zealand, has also been called an eighth Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling. It is situated within the Fiordland National Park which is in turn part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1200 metres or more on either side.

Dogs can pull off ugly when they're small and cute. Boxers are ugly and big. They don't make much sense.

victoria falls, originally called mosi-oa-tunya ('smoke that thunders'), was named after queen victoria of england in 1855. the raging waters of the zambezi river pour 19 trillion cubic feet of water per minute into a gorge that is 1.25 miles wide and 328 feet deep, making this the largest curtain of falling water in the world. located between zambia and zimbabwe, victoria falls is flanked by national parks and is now one of the world's greatest tourist attractions, with resorts, hiking trails, and observation posts springing up around it. white-water rafting at the foot of the falls makes for a thrilling adventure.

mount everest, part of the himalayan mountains between nepal and tibet, was formed about 60 million years ago due to the shifting of earth's rocky plates. named after sir george everest, a british surveyor-general of india, everest is the highest mountain on earth, looming some 29,035 feet high and growing a few millimeters every year. climbing everest isn't easy, due to avalanches, strong winds, and thin air. nevertheless, in 1953, edmund hillary and sherpa tenzing norgay were the first climbers to reach the peak. more than 700 others have done so since, with at least 150 persons dying on their quest.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave, but after the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral’s architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345.

There is no good reason for this dog.

Las Lajas is a Roman Catholic cathedral and basilica church dedicated to the worship and veneration of Our Lady of Las Lajas Ipiales. This church is located in southern Colombia and continues to be a tourism and pilgrimage desired destination ever since the eighteenth century. The present church was built between January 1, 1916 and August 20, 1949, with donations from regional churchgoers. It goes up 100 metres (330 ft) high from the bottom of the canyon which is connected to the reverse side of the canyon by a 50 metres (160 ft) tall bridge. Exterior of the Las Lajas Sanctuary doesn’t appear very much like an irregular South American Catholic church. However it keeps a lot of their characteristics: it is ornate, richly elaborate and, to many eyes, fabulous. Many places of worship are con

the great barrier reef blankets 137,600 square miles and extends a dramatic 1,242 miles along australia's northeastern coast, making it the largest group of reefs in the world. the reef began forming more than 30 million years ago and is made up of the skeletons of marine polyps. four hundred species of living polyps can also be found there, along with 1,500 species of fish, as well as crabs, clams, and other sea life. the area is an australian national park and is visited by two million tourists a year.

david

Annoying and ugly.

The Archbishops of St. Louis during the early 1900s were very persistent in their desire to build the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis--not even a devastating tornado at the time could stop them from raising the $1 million needed to construct the Byzantine and Romanesque style Cathedral. In 1908 the cornerstone was laid and the project was dedicated to Christ and King--King Louis IX that is, officially making St. Louis the city's patron saint. From 1930 to 1988, a series of beautiful Byzantine-inspired mosaics depicting the life of St. Louis was added, and in 1997, Pope John Paul II designated the site as a Cathedral Basilica, visiting it for himself in 1999.

Almost ginger-bread-house-like, this amazing construction brings the snowy Moscow landscape alive.

@got_kash

The Sainte-Chapelle or 'Holy Chapel', in the courtyard of the royal palace on the Île de la Cité (now part of a later administrative complex known as La Conciergerie), was built to house Louis IX's collection of relics of Christ, which included the Crown of Thorns, the Image of Edessa and some thirty other items. Louis purchased his Passion relics from Baldwin II, the Latin emperor at Constantinople, for the sum of 135,000 livres, though this money was actually paid to the Venetians, to whom the relics had been pawned. The relics arrived in Paris in August 1239, carried from Venice by two Dominican friars. For the final stage of their journey they were carried by the King himself, barefoot and dressed as a penitent, a scene depicted in the Relics of the Passion window

Chartres Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, is a medieval Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church located in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

@azierthewhite

St. Peter's Basilica is a Late Renaissance church found within Vatican City. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is considered the most famous work of Renaissance architecture and continues to be amongst the largest churches in the world. The location of St. Peter's Basilica is greatly symbolic because this is the site where Saint Peter, the chief apostle, died a martyr and exactly where he was buried in 64 AD. St. Peter is considered the very first pope, so it made perfect sense for the papacy to put up the principal shrine of the Catholic church here.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood also referred to as the Church on Spilt Blood and the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. This magnificent Russian-style church construction started out in 1883 under Alexander III, on the spot where his father Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. The development of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of personal donators, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists of the day V.M. Vasnetsov, M.V. Nesterov and M.A. Vrubel. Surprisingly, in spite of the church’s very undoubtedly Russian characteristic, the main architect, A. Parland, was not even Russian by birth.