Photography

Civil War Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker was infamous for providing troops with "female companionship." Time Life Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

Cole Weston, son of photographer Edward Weston, kisses his wife Dorothy goodbye outside their home before heading off to work, circa 1940, Los Angeles. Ansel Adams/Los Angeles Public Library hide caption

A snowflake from Kiruna Sweden. Large, well-formed crystals like this one, which is between 2 and 5 mm, usually form when the temperature is around -15 degrees Celsius. A special photo-microscope and colored lights were used to capture the image. Kenneth Libbrecht/Lenart Nilsson Award hide caption

The orange-red bark of a Madrone evergreen tree, found on the west coast of North America, peels away on mature wood. Beaneath is a smooth, green layer. Cedric Pollet hide caption

Mine spoil piles and intersected water table, 1984 David T. Hanson hide caption

Orangutans confiscated from circuses, sideshows and private owners in Kalimantan, Indonesia, are taken in by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation as orphans. Mark Leong/National Geographic hide caption

In October, soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division on patrol in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province climb the hills and footpaths near the Pakistan border. This volatile border has been a source of constant friction as insurgents pass freely through the mountainous region. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

A Kazakh hunter shies slightly from a golden eagle spreading its wings, Mongolian People's Republic David Edwards/National Geographic hide caption