-
Photograph by NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)
From "Mars Close-Up," National Geographic, July 2013After taking its first scoops of Martian soil, Curiosity posed for a self-portrait. Stitched together from 63 images, it shows the entire rover and even the imprints in the sand of its scoop and wheels—but not the seven-foot robotic arm that was holding the camera.
-
Photograph by David Guttenfelder
From "Last Song," National Geographic, July 2013A whitethroat, en route to winter grounds in Africa, is caught on a lime stick.
-
Photograph by Tim Grams
From "Top Shots," National Geographic, July 2013With some spare sheets of clear plastic he had around the house, Grams built a four-foot-tall frame to photograph redpolls that spend the winter in Alaska. He sprinkled sunflower seeds to attract the birds, then set a remote release on his upward-pointing camera and went inside.
-
Photograph by Ance
From "Top Shots," National Geographic, July 2013To build the scene for this photo, Ance created a small puddle of water, then placed an ant atop a pile of moss that he had found in his yard. As the ant started moving, Ance, a macrophotographer, captured the moment right before it jumped from the moss.
-
Photograph by Hsingwei Lee
From "Top Shots," National Geographic, July 2013When Lee's daughter let the family's two parakeets out of their cage, they both flew quickly to a nearby mirror. "You could see their amazement at what they were seeing," Lee says. Seconds after he snapped this shot, the birds flew to another part of the house.
-
Photograph by NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)
From "Mars Close-Up," National Geographic, July 2013Powered by plutonium, NASA's one-ton, nine-foot-wide rover can cover a hundred yards in a day, rolling over large rocks on six aluminum wheels. Four cameras scan for treacherous ground ahead.
-
Photograph by Tatyana Druz
From "Top Shots," National Geographic, July 2013At a cat exhibition near her hometown, Druz took portraits of many of the animals. One sphynx—a breed with very little hair—was more curious than others that day, coming so close that it almost touched Druz's lens.
Buy NG Photos
Special Issues