Wikipedia:Picture of the day/January 2017

Selfoss is a waterfall on the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland. The river drops over a number of waterfalls over about 30 kilometres (19 mi) before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea. Since the river originates as melt water from the glacier Vatnajökull, flow varies depending on the season, the weather, and volcanic activity.

Picture: Martin Falbisoner

The Mollweide projection is an equal-area, pseudocylindrical map projection generally used for global maps of the world or night sky. The projection was first published by mathematician and astronomer Karl Mollweide of Leipzig in 1805 but reinvented and popularized in 1857 by Jacques Babinet. The projection trades accuracy of angle and shape for accuracy of proportions in area, and as such is used where that property is needed, such as maps depicting global distributions.

Map: Strebe, using Geocart

Paulus Moreelse (1571–1638) was a Dutch painter and architect. Born in Utrecht, he studied under Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt and spent some time in Italy in the late 16th century before returning to his hometown. Receiving commissions from throughout the Dutch Republic, Moreelse was mainly active painting portraits. This self-portrait, completed in c. 1635, is held at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

Painting: Paulus Moreelse

Feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica) are birds derived from domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild. Originally bred from the wild rock dove, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains, these pigeons use the ledges of buildings as a substitute for sea cliffs. They have become adapted to urban life, preying on insects and scavenging. They are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world.

Photograph: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

A still life painting by Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten that depicts the backside of a painting used as a letter-rack through the artistic technique trompe-l'œil. This technique, which is translatable as deceive the eye, uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

Painting: Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten

The

Toompea Castle is a castle on Toompea hill in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Though the castle is located on an ancient stronghold site in use since at least the 9th century, much of the current building was constructed in the 13th and 14th century by the Order of the Brethren of the Sword. Today the castle houses the Parliament of Estonia, which meets in a building designed by Eugen Habermann and Herbert Johanson.

Photograph: Abrget47j

Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, an

Painting: Benjamin West

Oecophylla smaragdina is a species of arboreal ant found in Asia and Australia. Ants of this species make nests made of leaves stitched together using the silk produced by their larvae.

Photograph: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets is an 1872 oil painting by Édouard Manet. It depicts fellow painter Berthe Morisot dressed in black mourning dress, with a barely visible bouquet of violets. The painting is in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Painting: Édouard Manet

A view of the Taj Mahal from the south, featuring the Charbagh garden. The mausoleum complex also includes subsidiary tombs, waterworks infrastructure, the small town of Taj Ganji, and a "moonlight garden". Its origins and architecture have been extensively documented, covering both the circumstances of its commission and the cultural and historical influence of the Islamic Mughal Empire in India.

Photograph: Yann; edit: Jim Carter

A panoramic view of Taurus–Littrow taken in December 1972, during the Apollo 17 lunar mission. This lunar valley is located on the near side of the Moon, along a ring of mountains on the southeastern edge of Mare Serenitatis. Toward the right, geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt prepares to take a sample. Data collected on Apollo 17 show that the valley is composed primarily of feldspar-rich breccia in the large massifs surrounding the valley and basalt underlying the valley floor, covered by an unconsolidated layer of regolith, or mixed materials, formed by various geologic events.

Photograph:

Cypresses at Cagnes, an

Painting: Henri-Edmond Cross

Bathsheba is a figure from the Hebrew Bible. She is most known for the story in which she was summoned by King David, who had seen her bathing, seduced her, and impregnated her. As Bathsheba was already married to a soldier named Uriah, David attempted to recall Uriah so he would re-consummate his marriage. When this attempt failed, David arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle so that he could marry Bathsheba. Though the child of this union died in infancy, Bathsheba later bore David's heir, Solomon.

This 1654 painting by Willem Drost, titled Bathsheba Holding King David's Letter, is one of numerous paintings depicting the story of Bathsheba. It is contemporaneous with Rembrandt's Bathsheba at Her Bath, which likewise depicts the nude subject holding a letter from David.

Painting: Willem Drost

Petra Martić (b. 1991) is a tennis player from Split, Croatia. Beginning her career as a junior in 2006, Martić turned professional in 2008. She reached a career high of World No. 42 in 2012 in women's singles.

Photograph: David Iliff

Bassac Abbey is an 11th-century Catholic abbey in Bassac, Charente, in the Ancient Diocese of Saintes style. It was largely reconstructed under Guillaume de Vibrac, Abbot from 1247 to 1286.

Photograph: JLPC

The

The Gulf Stream is an 1899 oil painting by Winslow Homer. It shows a black man in a small rudderless fishing boat struggling against the waves of the sea, and was the artist's last statement on a theme that had interested him for more than a decade. The painting is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Painting: Winslow Homer

The Sumela Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Maçka district of Trabzon Province, Turkey. Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) facing the Altındere valley, it is a site of great historical and cultural significance, as well as a major tourist attraction within Altındere National Park.

Photograph: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

Elizabeth Smith-Stanley, Countess of Derby (1753–1797) was the eldest daughter of the 6th Duke of Hamilton; she married the 12th Earl of Derby in 1774. Popular among society, she became involved in a scandal when she engaged in a very public affair with the 3rd Duke of Dorset. She eventually separated from her husband, becoming effectively exiled from society, especially after it was learned that she would not be marrying the Duke. Lady Derby moved abroad, only returning once her husband attracted embarrassing press attention for his relationship with the actress Elizabeth Farren, whom he married soon after Lady Derby's death.

Painting: George Romney

An

Photograph: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team

Photograph: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Young Omahaw, War Eagle, Little Missouri, and Pawnees is an 1821 painting by the American portrait artist Charles Bird King (1785–1862) of Plains Indian chiefs who among many others traveled to Washington to meet with the president to negotiate their territorial rights with the government.

Painting: Charles Bird King

A panoramic view of the

The island Elliðaey in Breiðafjörður, a large shallow bay in the west of Iceland. It separates the region of the Westfjords from the south of the country. The northern tip of the bay was formed about 15 million years ago, whereas the southern end at Snæfellsnes was formed less than half that time ago.

Photograph: Heinrich Pniok