American actress Heather Rae Young feeds an alpaca a carrot stick from her mouth during her bridal shower hosted by PETA at Kindred Spirits Care Farm on September 2, 2021. On Thursday morning, PETA and rescued animals from Kindred Spirits Care Farm will host a bridal shower for Heather Rae Young in honor of the longtime animal rights activist and Selling Sunset star’s upcoming nuptials to Tarek El Moussa. (Photo by Snorlax/The Mega Agency)

US Army Parachute Team Golden Knights perform a precision drop to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, above West Potomac Park in Washington, DC, USA, 11 May 2023. The performance is one of many activites being held on the National Mall over three days to honor Vietnam War veterans and their families and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of when the last US combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973. (Photo by Michael Reynolds/EPA/EFE)

An offering of a dried baby llama and fake U.S. burn in honor of Pachamama, or Mother Earth, during a New Year ritual on Turriturrini Mountain on the outskirts of Huarina, Bolivia, Friday, June 21, 2024. Aymara Indigenous communities are celebrating the Andean New Year 5,532 or “Willka Kuti” which translates to “Return of the sun” in Aymara. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)

Girls rest on stairs at the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy) in Shanghai, China July 27, 2017. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A bus goes through a flooded street in Wuhan, Hubei province, China July 6, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A competitor walks on tightrope during a performance in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China, May 7, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Paramilitary policemen take part in a training in Chaohu, Anhui province, China December 28, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)