National Geographic Names Photo of the Year — See What’s Inside

National Geographic this week launched its annual Photo of the Year issue, featuring 20 out of nearly 2.3 million contested images depicting striking scenes of nature, wildlife, and the world’s connection to humanity. I introduced photos of.

Here are CNBC’s picks for the best.

Through “a lot of persistence and a little bit of luck,” Bertie Gregory was able to capture the moment a young emperor penguin jumped off a 50-foot cliff to take its first swim.

National Geographic says emperor penguins are increasingly moving from low-lying ice to higher permanent ice shelves as their environment changes due to climate change.

These chicks, whose parents left the nest a month ago, are learning to hunt on their own.

At the University of Konstanz in Germany, photographer Ingo Arndt closely observed an ant colony normally hidden in the forest.

She was there to catch the hatchling as it opened the cocoon with its jaws, and then the adult female helped free it from the rest of the cocoon.

“To take this photo, I had to work under controlled conditions in the laboratory. I built a small woodland ant nest there, so I had to be very patient to take this photo. ,” Arndt said.

In January, scientists at the BioRescue Project transferred a southern white rhino embryo into a female southern white rhino. However, before the pregnancy could be confirmed, the rhino died from a bacterial infection. Later, scientists discovered a 70-day-old fetus.

Still, scientists are hopeful that a successful pregnancy could aid efforts to save the endangered northern white rhino. According to National Geographic, only two remain.

This is the story Ami Vitale has been covering for the past 15 years.

“Knowing how close we are to losing not just rhinos, but countless other species, instilled in me a deep sense of crisis and recognition of our shared responsibility,” she said. “We hope this initiative will help raise awareness of the urgent challenges facing our planet.”

Backlit by stars

Concan, Texas

Home to 10 million bats, the Frio Bat Cave is one of the largest colonies in the world, and in summer that number can double.

These Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from their caves at sunset to feed primarily on moths, a nightly ritual that can take up to three hours. As dozens of bats emerge from the cave every second, Babak Tafreshi uses multiple soft flashes to create 30-second exposures to reveal the bats, backlit by the constellations Orion and Taurus in the night sky. He also said that he took this shot in response to the request. .

“I learned so much about bats on this project. How smart they are and how incredibly precise their flight paths are. How productive they are to the ecosystem, local farmers, and the Texas economy.” he told CNBC Travel.

When coldness and warmth collide

Fanning Springs State Park, Florida

This photo was taken on an early winter morning where warm spring water meets the dark, cold waters of the Suwannee River.

Photographer Jason Gulley said he donned a dry suit and jumped into the water, waiting motionless to photograph the fish as they danced between warm and cold temperatures.

“Thanks to our years of experience with Suwannee River springs, we knew it would be a unique and visually stunning situation that morning,” Gulley told CNBC Travel.

“The benefit of shooting in my metaphorical backyard is that it took me years to learn how differences in water levels, seasons, and weather affect the environment.”

fuel from the sun

Jülich, Germany

National Geographic says solar synthetic fluids made using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide could one day be used to power trucks, ships, and airplanes without modifying their engines.

In June, Switzerland’s Sinhelion opened the world’s first industrial-scale plant to produce alternative energy.

“This photo is an attempt to abstract the fuel produced by two simple and fundamental elements: air and the sun.I was photographed in an improvised studio in my company’s facility supporting a drop of fuel. I used a mirror and a gradation of light to evoke that image: the sun and the sky,” said photographer Davide Monteleone.

“I felt and heard a rumbling sound.”

antigua, guatemala

The day-long hike up Fuego’s dormant twin Acatenango to take this photo, carrying 45 pounds of camera equipment, was one of the most difficult Peter Fisher has ever done, he said.

But the well-timed break to catch his breath turned out to be a fortuitous moment.

“About 30 seconds after I stopped, I felt and heard a rumbling sound, and then I saw lava spewing into the sky. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” he told CNBC. “The sun had just set, so I could still see the silhouettes of the other climbers. If I had continued climbing, I would have seen their bodies disappear into the dark ash surrounding me when I changed my perspective. Sho.”

Fisher said a friend who was climbing with him used a flashlight to “add some nice light to the foreground.”

It was “one of those moments where you can’t plan and everything falls into place,” he said.

To see more National Geographic Photos of 2024, visit NatGeo.com/Photos.