Wikipedia:Picture of the day/February 2017

The

The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the largest species of owl and one of the most widely distributed, being found throughout much of Europe and Asia. It is easily identified thanks to its distinctive ear tufts and orange eyes. The Eurasian eagle-owl is found in a number of habitats but is mostly a bird of mountain regions, coniferous forests, steppes and other relatively remote places.

Photograph: Carlos Delgado

The

Beauty Revealed is an 1828 self-portrait by Sarah Goodridge (1788–1853), painted in miniature with watercolors on a piece of ivory. Depicting the artist's bared breasts surrounded by pale cloth, the 6.7-by-8-centimetre (2.6 by 3.1 in) painting was gifted to statesman Daniel Webster, who was a frequent subject and possibly a lover, following the death of his wife.

The

Photograph: David Iliff

The Magpie, by the French Impressionist Claude Monet, is one of approximately 140 snowscapes produced by Monet and is his largest winter painting. It depicts a solitary black-and-white magpie perched on a gate formed in a wattle fence, as the light of the sun shines upon freshly fallen snow creating blue shadows.

Painting: Claude Monet

Oenothera biennis is a plant native to eastern and central North America and widely naturalized elsewhere in temperate and subtropical regions. It has a life span of two years, growing to 30–150 cm (10–60 in) tall. The flowers are yellow and only last until the following noon after blooming. They open visibly fast every evening producing an interesting spectacle, hence the common name "evening primrose."

Photograph: George Chernilevsky

Wind tests being conducted on a volunteer at the Langley Research Center in 1946. In these tests, under the guidance of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and at the request of the United States Navy, the volunteer was subjected to wind speeds reaching a maximum of 457 mph (735 km/h); local wind speeds along the subject's face reached 720 mph (1,160 km/h)). These tests were intended to measure the effects of bailing out of a high-speed aircraft on the human body. They showed that "effects of the wind stream on clothing and gear were in many ways more pronounced than on the subject. Even at low speeds, loose clothing flapped and fluttered violently. The helmet and chin strap needed constant readjustment, and the helmet's seams began to tear during exposures to 400-mile-an-hour winds."

Video: National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

Shrovetide by the Russian artist

Clanculus corallinus is a species of sea snail in the family Trochidae. First described in 1791, this species has a umbilicate shell that is globose-conic in shape. Though often coral-red or brown, it may show considerable variation in color.

Photograph: H. Zell

Saudade, an oil on canvas painting completed in 1899 by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior. The Portuguese word saudade refers to a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for a beloved, and often connotes a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. Once described as "the love that remains" after someone is gone, saudade now refers to a sense that someone or something that should be present is missing.

Painting: José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior

The inlet at Fort Pierce, a city of nearly 43,000 in Florida. The area around the inlet is Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, which consists of beaches, dunes and a coastal hammock between the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of Tucker Cove.

Photograph: Don Ramey Logan Jr.

Illustration: Paul Gavarni; restoration: Adam Cuerden

The Rocket is an oil painting on canvas completed in 1909 by the American artist Edward Middleton Manigault. It depicts a fireworks display over the Hudson River, as well as a boat full of spectators. The work is now held in the Columbus Museum of Art.

Painting: Edward Middleton Manigault

The

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Öxarárfoss is a 20 metres (66 ft)-high waterfall in Þingvellir National Park, Iceland. It flows from the river Öxará over the Almannagjá and is one of the main attractions in the park.

Photograph: Diego Delso

Men of the Docks is an oil painting on canvas completed by the American artist George Bellows in 1912. Depicting day laborers at the docks of New York City, this 114.3 by 161.3 cm (45.0 by 63.5 in) painting was sold to the National Gallery in London in 2014 for $25.5 million.

Painting: George Bellows

A

Photograph: Julian Herzog

La Mousmé is an oil painting on canvas completed by Vincent van Gogh in 1888. Inspired by Pierre Loti's novel Madame Chrysanthème and Japanese artwork, it depicts what van Gogh called "a Japanese girl—Provençal in this case—twelve to fourteen years old." She wears an outfit from the Arles region of southern France, and her coloration is that of a girl from the region, but with a Japanese influence. The painting is now held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Painting: Vincent van Gogh

Durbar Court at the

A photographic

Photograph: Colin

The interior of

A dancer from Sanata Dharma University's Balinese dance group performing kebyar duduk, a dance created by I Mario and first performed in 1925. Inspired by the development of the quick-paced gamelan gong kebyar, kebyar duduk is named for the seated and half-seated positions taken by the dancers. While in this position, dancers may shift or spin around, using their eyes to emote. Unlike several other Balinese dances, kebyar duduk is interpretative rather than narrative.

Photograph: Chris Woodrich