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)

A couple walk in the Retiro park in Madrid on November 17, 2020 as a thick fog falls on the Spanish capital. (Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP Photo)

Buildings in Lujiazui financial district are seen shrouded in fog amid an orange alert for heavy fog in Shanghai, China on January 31, 2024. (Photo by Xihao Jiang/Reuters)

Smoke rises from a house days after part of the ground it was resting on collapsed into Lake Whitney, Texas in this June 13, 2014 file photo. I was covering the controlled burn of a house slowly falling into Lake Whitney due to the decaying cliff underneath. Asked to take photos from an aerial perspective, an instructor and I took off from Grand Prairie Municipal Airport around 9am. The burn, scheduled to start an hour later, was delayed. I love flying, but patience proved challenging as circling for nearly three hours gets boring fast. Once the fire started we only had 15 minutes to take photos because the plane was booked at 1pm. The owners invested their retirement savings in the house and were even advised by geologists that the ground was stable. To watch your investment literally go up in flames must take its toll emotionally. The owners said they don't expect their insurance to cover the loss. (Photo and caption by Brandon Wade/Reuters)

Singer Halsey arrives to the 2018 amfAR Gala New York at Cipriani Wall Street on February 7, 2018 in New York City, USA. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Competitors ride a home-made vehicle without an engine on a downhill track in the Red Bull Soapbox Race in Santiago, Chile, November 27, 2016. (Photo by Jonathan Faus/Reuters)

Actress Morena Baccarin poses for a portrait backstage at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

“Twisted Metal” Season 2 stars Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz celebrate the new season at Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center in New York on July 22, 2025. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Rex Features/Shutterstock)