National Geographic spotlighted its Pictures of the Year in its December 2024 issue. The photos include captivating images of animals, nature, scientific innovation, and landscapes.

The final 20 photos were narrowed down from a pool of 2.3 million − 300,000 more than in 2023, Nat Geo Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lump said.

The photos capture animals, people, and nature coexisting in fascinating ways. Among the 20 images is a shot of a rare black tiger, a big cat that gets its name from its extra-wide stripes ...

If our 13.8 billion-year-old cosmos could be considered middle-aged, researchers note these new images captured around its 380,000th birthday represent a snapshot of the universe as a newborn.