Merit: A Night at Deadvlei. The night before returning to Windhoek, we spent several hours at Deadveli. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the sand dunes in the distance, but the skies were still dark enough to clearly see the milky way and magellanic clouds. Deadveli means “dead marsh. The camelthorn trees are believed to be about 900 years old, but have not decomposed because the environment is so dry. (Photo and caption by Beth McCarley/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Torchbearers Charles Antoine Kouakou, Fabien Lamirault, Elodie Lorandi, Nantenin Keita and Alexis Hanquinquant gesture after lighting the Cauldron to conclude the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Place de la Concorde on August 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Hawk T1 aircraft of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, perform a vertical loop during a practice display in Fitties, Greece on November 10, 2025. The team conducted the display practice as part of Exercise SpringHawk 2025. (Photo by AS1 Iwan Lewis/RAF)

Bella Hadid, leads other models, as they wear creations as part of the Fendi Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, as guests record the show on their cell phones during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, February 23, 2022. (Photo by Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)

Oscars “Super Fan” Vivianne Robinson wearing Hollywood-themed attire, is pictured near the red carpet arrivals area, ahead of the 95th Academy Awards, in Hollywood, California, on March 10, 2023. The red carpet for the Oscars airing on March 12, 2023, is champagne-color for 2023. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/AFP Photo)

Police officers display their AI-powered smart glasses in Luoyang, Henan province, China on April 4, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

In this Thursday, April 11, 2013 photo, North Korean female soldiers stand watch on the river bank of the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite to the Chinese border city of Dandong. (Photo by AP Photo)

China Airlines stewardess Wang Wen Hwang leaps from the burning China Airlines plane after assisting the passengers to safety February 27, 1980. Miss Wang saved most of the lives of the passengers despite her injuries. She was the last to leave the planes. (Photo by AP Photo)