Wikipedia:Picture of the day/June 2012
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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in June 2012. Individual sections for each day on this page can be linked to with the day number as the anchor name (e.g. [[Wikipedia:Picture of the day/June 2012#1]]
for June 1).
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}}
(version with blurb) or {{POTD}}
(version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.Purge server cache
June 1
Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, a solo piano piece written by Frédéric Chopin in 1842. This work is one of Chopin's most admired compositions and has long been a favorite of the classical piano repertoire. The piece, which is very difficult, requires exceptional pianistic skills and great virtuosity to be interpreted. A typical performance of the polonaise lasts seven minutes.
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June 2
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Martha Washington (1731–1802) was the wife of George Washington (her second husband), the first President of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. She was widowed from her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, at the age of 25. She brought great wealth to her second marriage with Washington, which enabled him to buy much land and many slaves to add to his personal estate. She and Washington did not have children but they reared two children of her late son John Custis, who died during the Revolutionary War, and helped both of their extended families. Engraving: John Chester Buttre after the portrait by Gilbert Stuart |
June 3
The springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle native to southwestern Africa. It stands about 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) high and is known for its jumping ability, being able to leap 4 m (13 ft) in the air and over a distance of 15 m (49 ft). It is also a fast runner, capable of reaching speeds up to 96 km/h (60 mph). The springbok is the national animal of South Africa. Photo: Hans Hillewaert |
June 4
Photo: Christian Schwarz
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June 5
A ripe pitaya and the cross-section of another. "Pitaya" is the name of the fruit of several species of cactus, most importantly of the genus Hylocereus Photo: S. Masters
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June 6
A view down the tracks of the Photo: Daniel Schwen
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June 7
Five views of a shell of Photo: H. Zell
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June 8
The Photo: Matthew Field
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June 9
A 3-D solid model of a jack inside a cube. Solid modeling is a set of principles for creating three-dimensional shapes that, when combined with geometric modeling, form the foundation of computer-aided design and in general support the creation, exchange, visualization, animation, interrogation, and annotation of digital models of physical objects. Image: Greg L
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June 10
The flower of an opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) in three stages of development. From left to right, the bud, the flower, and finally the seed capsule. The plant is used to derive opium and poppy seeds. The Latin botanical name means the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to the sedative properties of some of the opiates—narcotics derived from opium. Photo: Joaquim Alves Gaspar
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June 11
A laser shoots towards the centre of the Milky Way from the Very Large Telescope facility in Chile, to provide a laser guide star, a reference point in the sky for the telescope's adaptive optics (AO) system. AO technology improves the performance of optical systems by reducing the effect of atmospheric distortion. AO was first envisioned by Horace W. Babcock in 1953, but did not come into common usage until advances in computer technology during the 1990s made the technique practical. Photo: Yuri Beletsky, ESO
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June 12
A 1907 advertising poster for the play Poster: U.S. Lithograph Co.; Restoration: Jujutacular
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June 13
Photo: International Monetary Fund
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June 14
Artist: Francis Holl after George Richmond
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June 15
Jökulsárlón is a large glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland, on the borders of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It now stands 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland at over 248 metres (814 ft) depth as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. Photo: Ira Goldstein
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June 16
The bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) is a commercially important species of loliginid squid. It is a small to medium-sized squid, averaging 3.8 to 33 cm (1.5 to 13.0 in) in length, and is characterised by a large oval fin that extends throughout the margins of its mantle, giving it a superficial similarity to cuttlefish. It also possesses iridophores (particularly in the head), a form of structural colouration that produces iridescent metallic greens and red when illuminated, as seen here. However, it does not have photophores, and is thus not truly bioluminescent. Photo: Nick Hobgood
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June 17
A crystalline fragment of an ingot of zinc (upper left), a sample of sublimed-dendritic zinc, and a 1 cm3 cube for comparison. Zinc (or "spelter") is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust. It is an essential mineral for humans; zinc deficiency affects about two billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases. Photo: Alchemist-hp
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June 18
The culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus, aka Andean fox/wolf) is the second-largest native canid in South America. It has grey and reddish fur, a white chin, reddish legs, and a stripe on its back that may be barely visible. The mean weight for males is 11.4 kg (25 lb), while females average 8.4 kg (19 lb). Photo: Christian Mehlführer
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June 19
The royal wedding between Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling took place on 19 June 2010 in Stockholm Cathedral. Westling—now known as Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland—became the first commoner to obtain a new title or rank as the spouse of a Swedish princess since the Middle Ages. He is the first Swedish man to use his wife's ducal title. Photo: Holger Motzkau
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June 20
The common frog (Rana temporaria) is found throughout much of Europe. Adults have a body length of 6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in) and vary in colour, with the ability to lighten and darken their skin to match their surroundings. They will feed on any invertebrate of a suitable size and, apart from the breeding season, live solitary lives. Photo: Richard Bartz
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June 21
A panoramic view of Signal Hill in 1923, a small city in Southern California. On June 21, 1921, oil was discovered in Signal Hill, part of the Long Beach Oil Field, and the city was soon covered with over 100 oil derricks (seen here). Because of its prickly appearance at a distance, it gained the nickname "Porcupine Hill". Today, most of the oil wells and nodding donkey oil pumps are gone. Signal Hill is now a mix of residential and commercial areas. Photo: The Aerograph Co.; Restoration: Jujutacular
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June 22
A Punch cartoon from 17 June 1876 showing Russia preparing to let slip "the dogs of war", its imminent engagement in the growing conflict between Slavic states in the Balkans and Turkey, while policeman John Bull (representing Britain) warns Russia to take care. The Slavic states of Serbia and Montenegro would declare war on Turkey at the end of June, and Russia formally joined the war in April 1877. Artist: John Tenniel; Engraver: Joseph Swain; |
June 23
Photo: Hans Hillewaert
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June 24
A Malmtrafik Iore-hauled train on the Iron Ore Line, a 398-kilometre (247 mi)-long railway line between Riksgränsen and Boden in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The line is dominated by the 8,600-tonne (8,500-long-ton; 9,500-short-ton) freight trains carrying ore from the mines to the ports in Narvik and Luleå .
Photo: David Gubler
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June 25
A whole Photo: S. Masters
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June 26
The Artist: C. M. Russell; Restoration: Adam Cuerden
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June 27
A lithograph depicting the Artist: George Wilhelm Fasel; Lithograph: Charles G. Crehen; Restoration: Adam Cuerden
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June 28
The Photo: JJ Harrison
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June 29
Chips of cobalt, electrolytically refined, as well as a 1 cm3 cube for comparison. Cobalt is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal that is found naturally only in chemically combined form. Cobalt-based blue pigments have been used since ancient times for jewelry and paints, as well as blue-colored glass. Photo: Alchemist-hp
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June 30
Grandidier's baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) is the biggest and most famous of Madagascar's six baobab species. It has a massive cylindrical trunk, up to 3 m (9.8 ft) across, and can reach up to 25 m (82 ft) in height. The large, dry fruits of the baobab contain kidney-shaped seeds within an edible pulp. It is named after the French botanist and explorer Alfred Grandidier, who documented many of the animals and plants of Madagascar. Photo: Bernard Gagnon
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