55 of the best images on Wikipedia from over the years

(Pocket-lint) - The champion images to person appeared connected Wikipedia and been awarded the "featured picture" status. There are immoderate unthinkable photos successful this collection.

Featured pictures are photos that person been chosen arsenic immoderate of the champion prime connected Wikipedia. This database includes implicit 12,000 photos retired of a full of good implicit 54 cardinal utilized connected the site. 

We've collected immoderate of the champion from the past fewer years for you to enjoy. 

A selfie astatine 70,000 feet

Another featured representation shows aviator Christopher Michel taking a selfie portion successful Lockheed U-2 astatine 70,000 feet.

The awesome happening astir this tallness is the aviator is precocious capable to spot the curvature of the Earth. It's besides doubly the formation ceiling of commercialized airliners. 

Atlantis Liftoff

This photograph was chosen arsenic representation of the time connected Wikimedia Commons successful 2009. And shows the awesome presumption of the Space Shuttle Atlantis arsenic it lifts off. 

"Sandwiched by billowing clouds supra and fume and steam clouds below, abstraction shuttle Atlantis hurtles past the lightning mast connected apical of the fixed work operation connected Launch Pad 39A astatine NASA's Kennedy Space Center successful Florida. Atlantis volition rendezvous with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope connected the STS-125 work mission. Liftoff was on-time astatine 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day formation volition see 5 spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the scope with state-of-the-art subject instruments that volition grow Hubble's capabilities and widen its operational lifespan done astatine slightest 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, Fine Guidance Sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph."

The Roztochia Biosphere Reserve

This is simply a photograph of a earthy practice tract successful Ukraine and 1 that was selected arsenic a peculiar grant victor for champion aerial photography connected Wikipedia. 

It shows the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, a tract that's 74,800 hectares (289 sq mi) successful size and handles everything from agriculture to stock-breeding and food farming. 

Oh hello

During a spacewalk, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi is seen waving astatine the camera with a superb backdrop of Earth below. 

This awesome photograph besides told the communicative of happenings astatine the presumption excessively arsenic Noguchi and Discovery crewmate Steve Robinson we engaged replacing an indispensable gyroscope erstwhile the photograph was taken. 

An bare bucket train

The 2nd spot victor from 2018's contention came from Bolivia and shows an empty "bucket train" connected the tracks between San Pedro and Ascotan, Chile. An unthinkable backdrop includes the San Pedro volcano dwarfing the agelong enactment of bid carriages. 

Frosted bubble

A classically beauteous frozen bubble caught successful the mediate of freezing over. This representation won 3rd spot successful 2018 and it's casual to spot why. 

Two antheral Phyllomedusa rohdei frogs

Some of the champion photos are those adjacent up images of nature, our satellite and the creatures successful it. This representation from Brazil shows 1 frog casually leaping implicit 1 of his buddies - however doesn't look champion pleased astir it. The representation won the Picture of the Year grant successful 2017 and came with this caption: 

"Phyllomedusa rohdei is simply a taxon of frog successful the household Hylidae with a purple and orangish colouration successful the inguinal region. In the picture, 2 males vie for a branch, 1 passing implicit the other. Photographed successful the Atlantic Forest, Michelin Reserve, Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brazil."

Royal Pavilion successful Phraya Nakhon Cave

A breathtaking presumption of the Royal Pavilion successful Phraya Nakhon Cave successful Thailand. It was primitively snapped successful 2015, but went connected to beryllium utilized successful aggregate places connected Wikipedia successful the clip that followed earlier snatching 2nd spot successful the 2017 competition. 

Two Tower of London ravens

These mightiness look similar 2 mean ravens, but they're really special:

"Jubilee and Munin, Ravens of the Tower of London. Jubilee was hatched successful Somerset successful 2012 and wears a gold band. He was fixed to the Queen connected her Diamond Jubilee. Munin was hatched successful North Uist successful 1995 and wears a airy greenish band. She is the oldest raven astatine the tower. Identification confirmed with Chris Skaife, Ravenmaster astatine the Tower. "

Another superb representation of quality astatine its finest and different award-winning photograph - this clip the archetypal spot victor from the 2016 competition. 

Wild elephants successful the road

This award-winning photograph comes from Khao Yai National Park in Thailand and shows immoderate magnificent chaotic elephants casually wandering down a agelong manmade road. 

Polar carnivore successful flight

From the bluish portion of Svalbard, Norway comes this drawback of a polar carnivore leaping from one ice floe to different successful a hopeless bid to find thing to eat. The lensman of this award-winning representation explained however the carnivore had been chasing a bearded seal moments earlier but the seal had escaped. The effect is simply a superb presumption of quality successful action. 

A high-resolution presumption of Pluto

We've featured this representation before and are impressed each clip we spot it. The representation shows a high-resolution enhanced colour presumption of Pluto that was taken successful 2015 by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. A reasonably astonishing changeable considering Pluto is 4.67 cardinal miles distant from Earth. 

The representation was the victor of the Picture of the Year contention successful 2015. 

A colourful mosque view

This photograph came 2nd successful the 2015 Picture of the Year competition. It shows a colourful presumption of the wrong of Nasir ol Molk Mosque located successful Shiraz. The sunlight casts unthinkable colours connected the interior carpets and creates a beauteous presumption for visitors to the Mosque. 

Heavens supra her

An astonishing award-winning photograph of the Milky Way captured stretching retired supra the skies of a woman lasting below. It was snapped astatine Trona Pinnacles National Landmark, California successful 2014 and won 3rd spot successful the 2015 Picture of the Year competition. 

A butterfly feeding connected the tears of a turtle

This beauteous country was captured successful 2012 in Ecuador. It shows the antithetic behaviour of Julia Butterflies from the region. They're engaging successful an enactment known arsenic "lachryphagy" - feeding connected the tears of the adjacent turtles. They get their nutrients successful that mode and thrive together. 

This unthinkable photograph was the archetypal spot victor of the contention successful 2014.  

Emperor penguins successful Antarctica

In 2013, Christopher Michelm, an American entrepreneur and lensman captured this unthinkable photograph of an Emperor penguin jumping retired of the waters of Antartica. A majestic carnal brilliantly snapped and good deserving of the 2nd spot grant successful 2014. 

Boxcabs successful Chile

Not for vertigo sufferers, this photograph shows a presumption of one of SQMs Boxcabs riding the tracks mode above Tocopilla, Chile. Another superb award-winning photograph from 2014.

A burning bulb

2013's competition-winning photograph was this astonishing representation of a cracked bulb by Stefan Krause:

"The solid envelope of this light bulb has been opened, allowing oxygenated aerial to regenerate the inert state usually inside. When turned on, the tungsten filament burns with a flame. At the clip of exposure, the bulb was screwed into a socket, which was replaced with the lamp screw basal using image editing."

The nationalist park

The 2nd spot victor of the 2013 contention was this representation of the National parkland "Sviati Hory" (Holy Mountains), Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. A breathtaking presumption of the parkland with a superb mist crossed the waters. 

A swallow drinking

This epic representation of a swallow successful formation shows a vertebrate magnificently framed successful the representation astir to instrumentality a portion from the aboveground of a swimming pool. We wonderment however agelong it took to seizure specified an awesome moment. The representation won 3rd spot successful the Picture of the Year contention successful 2013. 

European Bee-eaters

This award-winning photograph from 2012 shows 2 European Bee-eaters resting connected a lone branch. The antheral tin beryllium seen scope to drawback immoderate luncheon for his mate. 

A coronal wide ejection

This drawback from 2012 was taken by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and shows a ample coronal wide ejection from the sun. This beautiful, yet deadly plasma burst is thought to person resulted successful an aurora appearing successful the night's entity astir the commencement of September that year. 

An exploding bulb

This representation was cautiously crafted utilizing high-speed photography techniques. It shows a airy bulb seemingly exploding aft being changeable with a low-powered airsoft pistol round.

A lakeside view

This award-winning photograph from 2011 shows a staggeringly beauteous presumption of lake Bondhus successful Norway. The Bondhus Glacier tin beryllium seen successful the background, on with wonderfully calm waters, a lone vessel and superb clouds rolling successful down the mountains. 

A space-based selfie

You're improbable to drawback a amended selfie than this. This photograph from 2010 was chosen arsenic the second-place victor for the 2011 Picture of the Year competition. It shows astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson aboard the International Space Station.

This is 1 unthinkable woman, with astir 189 days of abstraction nether her loop that see 3 palmy abstraction walks and the honour of being the archetypal astronaut to beryllium calved aft Apollo 11 mission. 

A waterway successful the lava tunnel

This superb photograph by Luc Viatour shows a breathtaking presumption of a cave created by a lava passageway successful Spain. The inactive waters wrong the cave look to amusement an optical illusion with awesome reflections of the cave walls. 

A laser to the heavens

The victor of 2010's Picture of the Year contention was taken by Yuri Beletsky and appears to amusement a laser firing disconnected into space.

"In mid-August 2010 ESO Photo Ambassador Yuri Beletsky snapped this photograph astatine ESO’s Paranal Observatory, Chile. A radical of astronomers were observing the centre of the Milky Way utilizing the laser usher prima installation astatine Yepun, 1 of the 4 Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT)."

"Yepun’s laser beam crosses the confederate entity and creates an artificial prima astatine an altitude of 90 km precocious successful the Earth's mesosphere. The Laser Guide Star (LGS) is portion of the VLT’s adaptive optics strategy and is utilized arsenic a notation to close the blurring effect of the ambiance connected images. The colour of the laser is precisely tuned to energise a furniture of sodium atoms recovered successful 1 of the precocious layers of the ambiance — 1 tin recognise the acquainted colour of sodium thoroughfare lamps successful the colour of the laser. This furniture of sodium atoms is thought to beryllium a leftover from meteorites entering the Earth’s atmosphere. When excited by the airy from the laser, the atoms commencement glowing, forming a tiny agleam spot that tin beryllium utilized arsenic an artificial notation prima for the adaptive optics. Using this technique, astronomers tin get sharper observations. For example, erstwhile looking towards the centre of our Milky Way, researchers tin amended show the galactic core, wherever a cardinal supermassive achromatic hole, surrounded by intimately orbiting stars, is swallowing state and dust."

An aged municipality panorama

This award-winning panorama was captured by Ramirez and shows Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an past metropolis that dates backmost to 1452.

New York astatine night

From the beauteous countryside, the mediate of the municipality sprawl. This award-winning representation shows NYC astatine nighttime with HDR mode engaged. 

A uncommon reddish squirrel

This past drawback shows a uncommon reddish squirrel photographed successful Germany. These squirrels are a uncommon show successful Europe wherever the ascendant grey squirrel has mostly taken over. That makes this winning photograph adjacent much special. 

A volcanic eruption

An unthinkable presumption from precocious supra the Earth was taken by NASA and shows the awesome powerfulness of nature. This mushroom unreality astir looks similar a atomic explosion, but shows the aftermath of a volcano eruption and the magnificence of nature. 

A pilgrim astatine the Golden Temple

The archetypal spot victor of 2009's contention was this representation taken astatine the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) successful Amritsar, India. It shows a lone pilgrim successful a authorities of undress aft precocious emerging from a ritual bath with the astonishing Golden Temple successful the background. 

Waterfalls and swirling pools

Another unthinkable and award-winning presumption of nature. This 1 shows the beauteous Elakala Waterfalls successful the Blackwater Falls State park, West Virginia. In the foreground, an astonishing swirling excavation of h2o draws the oculus arsenic galore waterfalls formed h2o down successful the background. 

The Russian Honor Guard

The 3rd spot victor from 2009 comes from a subject parade:

"A Russian subject grant defender drawn from the 154th Commandant's Regiment welcomes U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a wreath-laying ceremonial astatine the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier successful Moscow, Russia, June 26, 2009. Mullen is connected a three-day travel to the country, gathering with counterparts and touring the Russian subject academy."

Relaxed horses

This representation was the archetypal spot victor of the 2008 Picture of the Year competition. It shows 2 horses relaxing successful the upland regions in Navarre, Spain. 

A occurrence breathing performer

A occurrence breathing performer wows onlookers during a rendition by the Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band. This representation was the 2nd spot victor successful 2008 and shows immoderate existent fire. 

Steam locomotives

This representation mightiness good beryllium 1 of the astir absorbing connected our list. Simply due to the fact that it wasn't taken successful the twelvemonth it one. Although the photograph came 3rd successful 2008, it was really taken by Jack Delano successful 1942. It wouldn't triumph until a decennary aft helium passed away. 

Evolution of a Tornado

This photograph by Jason Weingart was selected arsenic the Picture of the Year 2018. It was created from 8 images taken arsenic a tornado began to signifier over Kansas successful 2016. This monolithic upwind beforehand led to astir 12 tornadoes whipping up a tempest successful the area. 

A operation connected the hill

This representation looks similar a Photoshopping of the celebrated wallpaper from Microsoft's Windows XP but really shows Broadway Tower in Cotswolds, England.

Snowy Britain

This featured representation is from 2010 - a outer representation of Great Britain erstwhile snowstorms were raging done Europe and British shores were seeming covered successful snowfall from seashore to coast. 

A alleviation airdrop

In 2010 Haiti was deed by a catastrophic earthquake which caused the decease of arsenic galore of 316,000 people, arsenic good arsenic the illness of oregon terrible harm to 250,000 homes and overmuch much besides. 

This photograph though, shows the exigency alleviation unit that was dropped from the skies successful bid to render assistance. 

Milky mode seen from Bolivian High Altiplano

While travelling from Ushuaia to Anchorage, Thomas Fuhrmann took this representation of the night's entity implicit Bolivia. The effect is simply a magnificent presumption of the Milky Way with fantastic colours and a staggering look up astatine the stars. 

Superparamagnetic fluid successful action

This photograph shows a superparamagnetic fluid reacting to the beingness of a neodymium magnet nearby.

This fluid is besides commonly referred to arsenic ferrofluid - a liquid which is made of nanoscale magnetic particles carried successful fluid which is attracted to the poles of a magnet. 

As good arsenic looking awesome, these benignant of fluids are utilized successful assorted applications including everything from hard drives to loudspeakers, spacecraft propulsion and much besides. 

A satisfying staircase

This is 1 of the featured images from 2015. It's a satisfying representation of a staircase successful the cardinal operation of the Granitz hunting lodge. Wonderfully framed and astir symmetrical it's brilliantly satisfying. 

In 2020, this photograph won the 5th prize astatine Wiki Loves Monuments 2020 successful Germany.

Mud cattle racing

Mud cattle racing is simply a messy (and nary uncertainty dangerous) concern it seems. This is simply a accepted athletics successful Indonesia and nary uncertainty 1 that requires a beardown disposition. 

The jockey, seen successful the centre of this representation is lasting connected a woody plough portion holding onto the bulls' tails arsenic they dash done a muddy atom field. The winners of the contention are deemed to beryllium the bulls that tally the fastest and the straightest. 

This representation is simply a superb tribute to a contented that's been happening for centuries, arsenic the section folks usage it arsenic a mode to observe the extremity of the atom harvest. 

A agelong leap landing

A brilliantly timed photograph captures an Army jock conscionable arsenic helium hits the soil during a agelong leap contention successful the mediate of an Inter-Corps Athletics Competition successful 2011. 

Fire!

Another well-timed photo, this clip showing a Dutch Panzerhaubitze 2000 (155 mm self-propelled howitzer) during a firing enactment successful Afganistan successful 2009. 

Geological layers

This is different awesome outer image, this clip of the Dasht-e Kavir godforsaken successful Iran. It shows antithetic geological layers successful the aboveground of the desert. And demonstrates what happens erstwhile thousands of years of upwind whips astatine the surface. 

The weird and fantastic patterns are the effect of layering and the bluish colours are said to beryllium different materials specified arsenic salt, vegetation and different things the outer has picked up.

Heroes of our time

Alberto Giuliani took a fig of photos of bushed doctors and nurses during 1 of the worst days of the COVID-19 contagion successful Italy successful 2020. 

The resulting images were a testament to their efforts and those of each the healthcare professionals moving tirelessly to support our lives done this troubling time. 

"These are the doctors and nurses of the San Salvatore Hospital successful Pesaro, Italy, the metropolis of my commencement and wherever I erstwhile again reside, which from time 1 has sadly been astatine the apical of the COVID-19 contagion and decease charts. I photographed them astatine the extremity of their shifts—twelve hours without a interruption during their combat successful an unequal war. In the quiescent moments successful beforehand of my camera, these embattled individuals are successful a authorities of full abandon, victims of an exhaustion that eats distant astatine the assemblage and the mind, a breathlessness that renders 1 disoriented, detached from clip and space. They would instrumentality disconnected their masks, caps, and gloves successful beforehand of my lens, remaining motionless, looking for immoderate benignant of normalcy amid the hellhole they were living."

Biological weapons training

This representation mightiness look similar thing retired of a subject fabrication film, but it's really from a peculiar lawsuit designed to assistance Airmen place biologic agents:

"Tech. Sgt. Timothy Cotterall, an Air National Guard exigency manager, is decontaminated pursuing attempts to place aggregate biologic contaminants successful a simulated laboratory during a Global Dragon grooming lawsuit connected March 18, 2015. Held astatine the Guardian Centers of Georgia, Global Dragon Deployment For Training provides a refresher people for Airmen, allowing them to enactment their skills to usage to place unrecorded chemical, biological, radiological and atomic agents and materials. Air National Guard exigency absorption technicians from much than 20 idiosyncratic units participated successful Global Dragon. Cotterall is simply a subordinate of the 137th Air Refueling Wing successful New Jersey."

Rebounding h2o droplet

This elemental representation was 1 of the finalists for Picture of the Year 2012. Just a droplet of water, yet a magnificently elemental and wonderfully pleasing representation of an mundane object. 

Cyclist and pacemaker

Taken astatine the Oßwald Steher Cup, this photograph shows the enactment unfolding arsenic a cyclist and pacemaker unreserved their mode astir the track. 

This representation was selected arsenic 1 of the featured photos for the sports category. 

The James Webb telescope

Another fantastic Wikipedia victor comes from NASA and shows the unthinkable James Webb Telescope. A marvel of modern engineering and thing that should assistance vastly amended our presumption of the Universe. 

A cute jumping spider

Taken successful 2021, this photograph of a pistillate Phidippus regius jumping spider was selected arsenic 1 of several featured pictures from Wikipedia. 

A robin successful the snow

In February 2021, successful the depths of snowy German, this photograph was taken of a beauteous Robin surrounded by a wintertime wonderland. 

A brilliant, yet elemental summation to the different grant winners.  

Writing by Adrian Willings.