Wikipedia:Picture of the day/July 2015

A map showing the territorial evolution of Canada. At Confederation in 1867, four provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) were established from three British colonies. This nascent country continued to accrete new provinces and territories, including Manitoba in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873, and Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905; previously established provinces also expanded their borders. The most recent province to be added was Newfoundland in 1949; it has since been renamed Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since the cession of the Northwest Territories to Canada in 1870 and 1880, sections of the territory have been converted several times into new territories (Yukon in 1898, Nunavut in 1999) and provinces (Alberta and Saskatchewan), and transferred to expand existing provinces.

Animation: Golbez

NGC 6752 is a globular cluster of intermediate density in the constellation Pavo. First identified in 1826 by James Dunlop, the cluster lies around 13,000 light years distant. It is visible to the naked eye in good viewing conditions.

Photograph: NASA/STScI

The Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga is an oil painting on canvas completed by Titian in c. 1529. It depicts Federico II Gonzaga, the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua, possibly in the lead-up to his wedding. The work is now held at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.

Painting: Titian

The United States Capitol as seen from the eastern side at dusk. Located atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the building was designed by William Thornton (the first Architect of the Capitol) and completed in 1800. It serves as the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.

Photograph: Martin Falbisoner

Sheep are quadrupedal ruminants, typically kept as livestock. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it generally refers to Ovis aries. One of the first animals to be domesticated, sheep are likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia. They are raised for their fleece, meat, and milk.

Photograph: Keith Weller/Agricultural Research Service

The Hobo–Dyer projection is a cylindrical equal-area projection commissioned in 2002 by Bob Abramms and Howard Bronstein. This projection was drafted by cartographer Mick Dyer, who based it on the 1910 Behrmann projection.

Map: Strebe, using Geocart

The Portrait of Sebastián de Morra is an oil painting on canvas completed by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez in c. 1645. It depicts Sebastián de Morra, a dwarf and court jester for Philip IV of Spain. He is shown sitting on the ground with his legs positioned inelegantly, which has been read as a denunciation of the court's treatment of him. The painting is now held at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Painting: Diego Velázquez

Leucanthemum vulgare, popularly known as the ox-eye daisy, is a flowering plant native to the grasslands of Europe and temperate Asia. This flower is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, and in Russia it is the symbol of Peter and Fevronia Day.

Photograph: Derek Ramsey

The edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus) is a fertile hybrid of the pool and marsh frogs which is commonly found in Europe. The species is commonly used in food, including the French delicacy frog legs.

Photograph: Grand-Duc; edit: Niabot

Chrysopidae are a large family of insects commonly known as green lacewings. This group consists of about 85 genera and 1,300–2,000 species, spread worldwide. The most common in North America and Europe are Chrysopa and Chrysoperla. This unidentified specimen was photographed in Austins Ferry, Tasmania.

Photograph: JJ Harrison

Siegestor is a triumphal arch in Munich commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed by Eduard Mezger in 1852. Measuring 21 metres (69 ft) high, 24 metres (79 ft) wide, and 12 metres (39 ft) deep, it is topped by a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga. Though originally dedicated to the glory of the Bavarian army, the arch was damaged in World War II and reimagined as a symbol of peace.

Photograph: Thomas Wolf

Charles I with M. de St Antoine is an oil painting on canvas by the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck in 1633. It depicts Charles I of England on horseback, accompanied by his riding master, Pierre Antoine Bourdon. Van Dyck became Principal Painter in Ordinary for Charles in 1632, and completed several equestrian portraits of the king, including multiple versions of this painting; the prime version is in the Royal Collection.

Painting: Anthony van Dyck

The red-bearded bee-eater (Nyctyornis amictus) is a large species of bee-eater found in the Indo-Malayan subregion of South-East Asia. This colorful species feeds predominantly on insects.

Photograph: JJ Harrison

Bucket-wheel excavators (BWEs) are heavy equipment used in surface mining. The primary function of a BWE is to act as a continuous digging machine in large-scale open pit mining operations. These BWEs were photographed at the Garzweiler surface mine in Germany.

Photograph: Raimond Spekking

The Apollo–Soyuz Test Project was the first joint U.S.–Soviet space flight, and the last flight of an Apollo spacecraft. Conducted between July 15 and July 24, 1975, the mission entailed the docking of an Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft, which allowed for both joint and separate scientific experiments; this included an engineered eclipse of the Sun by Apollo which allowed Soyuz to take photographs of the solar corona. Subsequent joint space flights included the Shuttle–Mir Program and the International Space Station.

Left to right: Deke Slayton, Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, Alexey Leonov, and Valeri Kubasov

Photograph: NASA; restoration: Adam Cuerden

Unripe nuts of Juglans regia, a species of Old World walnut. Native to the region stretching from the Balkans eastward to the Himalayas and southwest China, it has been introduced to much of Europe and the United States. The nuts of this species are widely consumed.

Photograph: George Chernilevsky

An aerial view of the Temple Mount, one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. Dominated by three religious structures from the early Umayyad period—the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain—the mount also has walls which date to the Herodian dynasty, including the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, in which it is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is manifested most frequently. In Christianity, it is held to have been the location of both Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple. Sunni Muslims consider the Mount the third holiest site in Islam, associating it with Muhammad's journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven. Owing to its importance to these religions, claims over the Mount have been heavily contested.

Photograph: Andrew Shiva

Vertigo is a 1958 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Tom Helmore. Based on the 1954 novel D'entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac, the film follows a former police detective who struggles against his acrophobia (an extreme fear of heights), which causes vertigo (a false sensation of rotation), to follow an acquaintance's wife. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, Vertigo has since been considered one of Hitchcock's best works.

Poster: Saul Bass; restoration: Adam Cuerden

A diagram showing the anatomy of a mosquito (sp. Culex restuans) larva. Such larvae have a well-developed head with mouth brushes used for feeding, a large thorax with no legs, and a segmented abdomen. The water-inhabiting larvae breathe through spiracles located on their eighth abdominal segments, or through a siphon, and must come to the surface frequently. Larvae develop through four stages, or instars, after which they metamorphose into pupae. At the end of each instar, the larvae molt, shedding their skins to allow for further growth.

Diagram: LadyofHats

An aerial view of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, a belated celebration of the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into United States held between May 1 and October 31, 1897, in what is now Centennial Park, Nashville. Various exhibits were held. For instance, the host city built a full-scale replica of the Greek Parthenon, whereas Memphis constructed a large pyramid.

Lithograph: Henderson Lithograph Company; restoration: Trialsanderrors

The Kavrayskiy VII projection is a map projection invented by Vladimir V. Kavrayskiy in 1939 as a general purpose pseudocylindrical projection. It produces maps with low overall distortion, despite its straight, evenly-spaced parallels and a simple formulation.

Map: Strebe, using Geocart

The common raven (Corvus corax) is a large, all-black passerine bird and the most widely distributed of all corvids. Averaging 63 centimetres (25 inches) in length and 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) in weight, these intelligent birds can live up to 21 years in the wild. They are commonly found in mythology, folklore, art, and literature.

Photograph: David Iliff

Fatinitza is a full-length, three-act operetta written by Franz von Suppé and with a libretto by Camillo Walzel and Richard Genée. Based on the libretto to La circassienne by Eugène Scribe, it follows a gender-disguised Russian lieutenant caught in a love triangle with an elderly general and the general's niece. The operetta premièred on 5 January 1876 at the Carltheater in Vienna and was a popular success throughout Europe, but now is rarely staged.

Lithograph: Vic Arnold; restoration: Adam Cuerden

Der Busant is a Middle High German verse narrative known from a single manuscript and several fragments. It tells of a love affair between the Princess of France and the Prince of England, who elope but are separated after a buzzard steals one of the princess's rings; after more than a year of separation, with the prince having gone mad and living as a wild man, they are reunited.

This fragment of a linen tapestry, which depicts the prince as a wild man and the princess on her palfrey, is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Tapestry: Unknown

The phantasmal poison frog (Epipedobates tricolor) is a species of poison dart frog endemic to Ecuador. First described by George Albert Boulenger in 1899, this endangered species is found only in rainforests on the slopes of the Andes.

Photograph: H. Krisp

George Catlin (1796–1872) was an American painter, author and traveler who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Catlin was fascinated with Native American culture from a young age. He began depicting them in art in the 1820s, and between 1830 and 1836 he visited almost fifty Plains Indians tribes in the American west. From his experiences, he produced a collection of over five hundred paintings which he exhibited on tour. These works are now housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Painting: William Fisk

A circa 1827 ukiyo-e print by Yashima Gakutei showing a woman playing a tsuri-daiko hanging drum. The tsuri-daiko are a type of taiko drum that produce a low sound, and are commonly used in ensembles accompanying bugaku court dances. They are suspended on a small stand, and are played while sitting.

Painting: Yashima Gakutei

Papilio machaon is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae and the type species of the genus Papilio. Despite its common name Old World swallowtail, this species is not restricted to the Old World, as populations can be found in North America.

The butterfly has a strong and fast flight, but frequently pauses to hover over flowering herbs and sip nectar. It frequents alpine meadows and hillsides, and males are fond of congregating near summits to compete for passing females. The species feeds mostly on plants of family Umbelliferae.

Photograph: Werner Pichler

A false-color photograph of NGC 1097, a barred spiral galaxy about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax. The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on 9 October 1790. It has a supermassive black hole at its center, which is 140 million times the mass of the Sun, as well as two satellite galaxies. The photograph was taken in infrared light by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Photograph: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A bird's-eye view showing approximately 3 square miles (8 km²) of the central portion of the city of Detroit, Michigan, c. 1889. At this time in the city's history, it was a burgeoning home for manufacturing with expanding city limits. Waves of immigrants, predominantly from Europe, came to Detroit, opening businesses and establishing their own communities. However, infrastructure remained lacking; before 1889, only four of the city's roads were paved.

Lithograph: Calvert Lithographing Company; restoration: Adam Cuerden

The long-tailed broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) is a species of broadbill found in the Himalayas. This insectivore is very sociable and normally travels in large, noisy parties. It can be identified by its shrill call.

Photograph: JJ Harrison