Author: Ms. R.

From the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, salt deserts around the world have become popular tourist destinations—vast, seemingly featureless, impossibly photogenic natural wonders. Although not all salt deserts are created the same, they appear to share a strange feature: what can be described as honeycomb-like patterns composed of low ridges emerging from the salty crust. The mechanism behind these mysterious polygons has had scientists scratching their heads for some time, with several……

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Commuters and visitors entering or exiting London’s Southwark Tube Station might catch a glimpse of this rather unusual piece of public art. Adding to their justifiable confusion is that this metallic dog with its head in a bowl has a connection to one of Victorian England’s greatest writers. Carefully crossing the road for further inspection, one will find a plaque on the ground bearing the words of Charles Dickens: “My usual way home was over Blackfriars Bridge, and down……

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Imagine while on your morning coffee run, you find a package on a bench wrapped in brown paper, with a note saying there’s art inside. Opening the package reveals an original piece of art, a small, acrylic painting with broad brushstrokes resembling the ocean, or maybe it’s a mountain. While it may be surprising, it’s sure to make your day. This is the goal of Toronto contemporary abstract artist Courtney Senior and her International Art and Found Day, the……

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When the tide is low, the Jinseom Bridge emerges from the waters off the coast of Yeosu to lead visitors to a tiny island. Public murals, statues, and other works of art decorate the space, which also has a small café. Just be sure to keep an eye on the ocean levels to ensure that your route back to the mainland is clear….

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Perth Observatory was founded in 1896 at Mount Eliza and was moved to Bickley in 1966 when light pollution from the city got too bright.  Perth Observatory contributed to many global scientific developments, including co-discovering the rings of Uranus, discovering several minor planets, and more than supernovas.  It’s now located in a state forest home to an assortment of wild animals, including a herd of kangaroos that live on the back lawn. Many of the original domes and telescopes……

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The 1993 Bill Murray film Groundhog Day may be set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but it was primarily filmed in Woodstock, Illinois. The public square that hosts the “Seer of Seer, Prognosticator of Prognosticators” is actually Woodstock Square and the bed and breakfast where Murray’s character Phil stays is still open to the public. Cinephiles can take a walking tour of most of the locations, or stop for a photo at this commemorative mural….

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The history of Spanish aviation is magnificently summarized in the facilities of the Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Museo del Aire) in Madrid. Created in 1981, the museum’s mission is to collect, preserve, and display the artifacts that make up the historical heritage of Spanish aviation. The museum (which is part of the Spanish Air Force Base of Cuatro Vientos) houses airplanes, uniforms, decorations, engines, models, and other aviation-related items in seven hangars and an outdoor exhibition. The concept……

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The year 1896 marked the coronation of Nicholas II as Emperor of Russia, and it just so happened that an Italian circus by the name of Grand Cirque Truzzi was touring Russia while the celebrations were taking place. Prominent among the artists performing in this circus were Alberto and Giulia Rastelli, a young couple who were showcasing their skills as jugglers and aerialists. Towards the end of that eventful year (19 December), their first son, Enrico, was born in……

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In Atlas Obscura’s Q&A series She Was There, we talk to female scholars who are writing long-forgotten women back into history. In scrawling cursive, an English enslaver named Robert Norris, captain of the slave ship The Unity, wrote an entry in his log marked June 6, 1770: “The slaves made an Insurrection which was soon quelled…with the loss of two woman slaves.” On June 22, “the slaves attempted another Insurrection after the death of a girl slave.” Then again,……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, our team shares stories of wonder and curiosity, the kind that can lie just beyond your doorstep. We’d love to hear from you, too! Tell us about a wonder in your backyard by recording a voice memo and send it to hello@atlasobscura.com, or leaving a voicemail at 315-992-7902. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous,……

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