floating lanterns during the annual Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand
ThailandIn Chiang Mai, floating lanterns set the night alight during the annual Yi Peng festival. The tradition, rooted in Buddhism, emphasizes reflection and spiritual cleansing. The lit lanterns, or khom loi, are hot-air balloons made of rice paper.
Photograph by Panupong Roopyai, Demotix/Corbis
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Visions

Phenomenal photos of the world’s wonders

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This story appears in the July 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.
a mushroom coral against a velvet backdrop in a South Carolina lab tank
United StatesAgainst a velvet backdrop in a South Carolina lab tank, a mushroom coral resembles a blooming flower. These invertebrates are used for tissue explants, a type of plant propagation. Eighteen photos were stitched together to make this composite.
Photograph by James H. Nicholson, NOAA
a maple tree seen from below in autumn at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo
JapanSeen from below, an autumn blaze of maple leaves is veined by a crooked lattice of trunks and branches at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The Tokyo site is a hot spot for momijigari, the centuries-old Japanese tradition of viewing fall foliage.
Photograph by Danny Dungo
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