The Signpost: 29 January 2026

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hi W.carter,

This is to let you know that File:Quercus robur acorns in Tuntorp 1.jpg, a featured picture that you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for February 23, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-02-23. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 13:44, 14 February 2026 (UTC)

Quercus robur, commonly known as the pedunculate oak or the English oak, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, comprising beeches and oaks. It is a large flowering plant, native to most of Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It is deciduous and grows to a height of up to 40 m (130 ft), with a single stout trunk that can exceed 10 m (33 ft) in girth. The fruits (acorns) are borne in clusters of two or three, on a long peduncle (stalk) that is 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) long. Each acorn is 1.5 to 4 cm (0.59 to 1.57 in) long, ovoid with a pointed tip, starting whitish-green and becoming brown, then black. As with all oaks, the acorns are carried in a distinctive shallow cup. It is an "alternate bearing" species, with large crops produced every other year. This photograph shows a pile of acorns, in various stages of ripening, taken from a Q. robur tree near Brastad, Sweden, and photographed on a plank of oak wood. The photograph was focus-stacked from eight separate images. Photograph credit: Ann-Sophie Qvarnström Recently featured: Shapur II Masked trogon BL 60-pounder gun Archive More featured pictures

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Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/G5 aurora over Tuntorp, Lysekil Municipality 15

An image created by you has been promoted to featured picture status Your image, File:G5 aurora over Tuntorp, Lysekil Municipality 15.jpg, was nominated on Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates, gained a consensus of support, and has been promoted. If you would like to nominate an image, please do so at Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates. Thank you for your contribution! Armbrust The Homunculus 05:06, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hi W.carter,

This is to let you know that File:G5 aurora over Tuntorp, Lysekil Municipality 15.jpg, a featured picture that you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for August 21, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-08-21. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 17:43, 17 August 2026 (UTC)

An aurora is a natural light display in Earth's upper atmosphere, caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with atmospheric atoms. The collisions excite oxygen and nitrogen, producing colours including green, red and purple. Auroras occur mainly in high-latitude regions: the Arctic aurora is called the aurora borealis or the northern lights, while its Antarctic counterpart is the aurora australis or the southern lights. They can also occasionally appear at much lower latitudes. Forms of aurora include glows, patches, arcs, rays and coronas, consistent with auroras being shaped by Earth's magnetic field. This photograph shows an aurora borealis over Tuntorp in Lysekil Municipality, Sweden, caused by a geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Photograph credit: Ann-Sophie Qvarnström Recently featured: Calumma fallax The Kid The Scream Archive More featured pictures

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Loved seeing this on the main page! Daniel Case (talk) 23:40, 21 August 2026 (UTC)

Thanks Daniel, that was kind of you. It seems to be appreciated with lots of views. It sure was a magic night. --Cart (talk) 23:57, 21 August 2026 (UTC)

I still have that other picture of yours as my desktop (though, to be fair, I've recently found one that I'm probably going to replace it with) Daniel Case (talk) 00:01, 22 August 2026 (UTC)

Daniel: Ahh! A bit of nostalgia. It has that whiff of Windows XP about it, but updated and upgraded. I too have gone a bit old school lately and replaced my old lawn picture with a nice Australian beach I found not long ago. I never use my own photos, I find it easier to dream and relax in front of a photo when you don't know every tiny detail of how it was made. --Cart (talk) 12:06, 22 August 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I and other commentators noted the resemblance to Bliss ... that's why I've downloaded it. Daniel Case (talk) 15:32, 22 August 2026 (UTC)

Wikiconference North America is in Edmonton this year. Just east of there is the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. As I understand it, auroras could be possible, even if it's not peak time. Still have your "auroras for beginners" unarchived. :) — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 13:39, 22 August 2026 (UTC)

Rhododendrites: Edmonton and Alberta makes for great aurora photography, and having a Dark Sky Preserve is awesome. <<jealous>> End of September is absolutely within "season". The sun doesn't care about seasons here on Earth, it emits matter whenever it suits it, the sky only needs to be dark enough (or the solar storm strong enough) for us to see the havoc in the atmosphere. I even got out when the sun was acting up in early July, only to catch some noctilucent clouds. :/ But it got stronger as it reached Alberta and even California(!). Late September will do fine! We got several photos of aurora with the Category:Perseids of 2024 (12 Aug), and I got a bunch on Sept 12. The sun is still in high activity gear this year, so I think there is a very good chance of you getting some shots if the local weather permits it. Fingers crossed! --Cart (talk) 14:56, 22 August 2026 (UTC)