Men dressed as Vikings lead the torchlight procession as it makes its way along Princess Street for the start of the New Year celebrations December 30, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Thousands of people joined in the torchlight procession, which is followed by the burning of a Viking long ship, to mark the start of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Hooded torch bearers lead the winter procession through the snow on February 4, 2012 in Huddersfield, England. Imbolc is a pagan festival that marks the half way point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Imbolc festivals celebrates the awakening of the land and the growing power of the Sun. (Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images)

The Japanese art of raising bonsai trees is a beautiful way to infuse greenery into indoor spaces. But artist Takanori Aiba takes the art to a new level with his incredibly intricate series of bonsai castles. The Japanese artist carves miniature masterpieces that weave in and out of the miniature trees, creating cohesive architectural marvels that burst forth with life!

Iconaster longimanus, the icon star or double star, is a species of starfish in the family Goniasteridae. It is found in the west and central Indo-Pacific Ocean. The genus name comes from the Greek eikon, meaning portrait or image and possibly referring to the way the marginal plates frame the disc, and aster, meaning star. The specific name comes from the Latin longus manus and refers to the long, slender arms.

These are the stunning pictures of the night sky brilliantly capturing the lights and colors of the Milky Way glistening over desert landscapes. Taken in various locations across Australia and the United States from the Grand Canyon to the Coral Sea, the pictures perfectly show the bright lights of the starry skies. Here: Bisit Badlands, New Mexico. (Photo by Wayne Pinkston/Caters News)

Descending into the Marum Volcano in Vanuatu, Intrepid explorers found an unusual way of staying warm this winter by spending Christmas day on an active volcano. British climber Chris Horsley, 22, and his friends Gareth Hawken, 30, Geoff Mackley, 50, and Bradley Ambrose, 36, from Auckland, New Zealand, hiked up the Marum Volcano, Vanuatu, on the morning of the 25th. Instead of passing the day with their families, the team climbed down a 1200ft cliff to get close to a flowing lake of lava. (Photo by Bradley Ambrose/Caters News)

A photographer has discovered a spectacular way of keeping warm during winter – using fire to heat up icy locations. Sam Scholes uses long-exposures to capture the movement of fire in front of ice-covered backdrops. After lighting steel wool his friend Scott Stringham swings the flaming object in order to make swirling patterns. The result of this technique – captured at Midway Ice Castles in Utah is a vibrant image with the warm light dancing across the cold scenes. (Photo by Sam Scholes/Caters News)

Civilians are led by members of pro-Russian self-defence units as they run outside a military base during an assault in the Crimean town of Belbek near Sevastopol March 22, 2014. Russian troops forced their way into a Ukrainian airbase in Crimea with armored vehicles, automatic fire and stun grenades on Saturday, injuring a Ukrainian serviceman and detaining the base's commander for talks. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)