As the new year approaches, many people have decided to embark on new adventures. Perhaps you’ve decided that this is finally the year you’ll learn Spanish or figure out how to start sewing your own clothes. Maybe you want to take up tennis, or you plan to start making your own kombucha. Learning something new is always worth it, even if you’re just acquiring fun facts!
We took a trip to The Great Planet on Instagram and gathered some of their most enlightening posts below. We hope that these images teach you something new about our world, and perhaps they’ll even inspire you to share what you’ve learned with your loved ones. Enjoy scrolling through these pics, and be sure to upvote the facts that blow your mind!
#1 Sprites Are Rare Electrical Flashes That Happen High Above Thunderstorms, Far Above The Clouds Where Normal Lightning Forms

Image source: thegreatplanet
#2 New Data Reports That Deforestation In The Brazilian Amazon Has Dropped By 11%, Hitting Its Lowest Level In Nine Years!

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#3 This Stunning Image Captures A Rare “Hanging Cloud” Hovering Above Japan’s Highest Peak

Image source: thegreatplanet, @kenken710
#4 The UK Confirmed A Massive Green Energy Record! Wind Power Generated 23.8 Gigawatts Of Electricity, Covering Nearly 50% Of The Entire Nation’s Demand

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#5 Meaning “Suspended In The Air,” These Monasteries Sit Atop Massive Natural Stone Pillars

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#6 Sadly, He Was Often Bullied By Other Kids Just For Looking Different. But The Universe Had A Plan

Image source: thegreatplanet
#7 These Images Capture The Famous “Christmas Tree Cluster” And The “Cosmic Wreath”—Massive Nebula Formations Located Thousands Of Light-Years Away From Earth

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#8 Studies Show That Experiences Shape Our Well-Being Far More Than Anything We Can Purchase

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#9 The “Ghosts Of The Mountains” Are Safe! The First-Ever Robust Camera-Trap Survey Just Confirmed That The Snow Leopard Population Has Stabilized At Nearly 400 Individuals

Image source: thegreatplanet
#10 The Ocean Cleanup Has Officially Crossed A Massive Milestone: 40,000,000 Kg Of Plastic Removed From Our Oceans And Rivers

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#11 The Government Introduced A “Solar Sharer” Policy That Gives Households Free Electricity For At Least 3 Hours A Day During Peak Solar Times

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#12 It’s The Massive Shadow Of Mount Rainier (14,411 Ft / 4,392 M) Cast Upwards Onto The Cloud Deck

Image source: thegreatplanet
#13 This Historic Decision Prioritizes The Well-Being Of Animals And The Protection Of Nature Over Tradition

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#14 Sułoszowa Is A Village In Southern Poland, About 29 Km Northwest Of Kraków, Where Nearly All 5,600–6,000 Residents Live Along One Single Road Stretching For 9 Kilometers

Image source: thegreatplanet, @geosteinmetz
#15 In A First-Of-Its-Kind Ruling, A Turkish Court Ordered A Man To Pay His Ex-Wife 10,000 Liras (About $240) Every Three Months In Cat Support To Help With The Care Of Their Pet After Divorce

Image source: thegreatplanet
#16 This Is Toi-1452 B. Located 100 Light-Years Away, Astronomers Have Identified This “Super-Earth” As A Likely Ocean World

Image source: thegreatplanet
#17 Recent Data Shows That By 2026, Over 56% Of People Will Travel For One Simple Reason: To Rest And Recharge

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#18 Kenya Officially Opened The World’s Largest Rhino Sanctuary! Tsavo West Has Been Expanded To A Massive 3,200 Km² To Help Black Rhino Populations Grow By 8% Every Year

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#19 For The First Time In 30 Years, Endangered Coho Salmon Have Returned To The Upper Russian River In California!

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#20 Built Directly Into The Vertical Rock Face, Appearing To Float Between Heaven And Earth

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#21 The Geminids Are Famous For Being The Brightest And Most Active Shower Of The Year, Producing Up To 120 Meteors Per Hour!

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#22 Located In Sedona, “Snoopy Rock” Is Famous For Resembling The Peanuts Character Lying On His Back, Often With Woodstock Perched On His Nose

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#23 They Tend To Approach Women For Social Interaction And Affection. But When It Comes To Men? The Study Suggests Cats Are More Likely To Use “Manipulative Techniques”

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#24 Humans Are Trichromats (We See Red, Blue, Green). But Deer And Boars? They Are Dichromats. They Can’t Process Orange Or Red Light

Image source: thegreatplanet
#25 Here Is The Power Of The Humble Oyster. In Just 24 Hours, They Can Transform A Tank Of Sludge Into Crystal-Clear Water

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#26 This Flightless Wonder Is The Takahē. It Returned From Being “Extinct” Since 1898. It’s An Absolute Conservation Miracle Happening Right Now In New Zealand

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#27 The Paint Is Harmless To The Animals, But It Glows Instantly When Headlights Hit It

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#28 Meet Lhs 1140 B: A Potential “Eyeball Planet” That Just Changed The Game In The Search For Alien Life

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#29 A Controversial New Proposal Suggests A Massive Price Hike For International Visitors To U.S. National Parks

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#30 The Crew Of The NASA Space Shuttle Columbia Captured This Rare Vertical Image Back In 1996

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#31 A Sanctuary Larger Than The EU Now Protects Whales, Sharks, And Reefs From All Industrial Mining And Fishing

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#32 The Updated Urban-Area Method Places Jakarta At Around 42 Million People

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#33 The Oecd Estimates That About 42 Million Homes Are Empty Out Of More Than 400 Million

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#34 Happiness = Road Trips + Your Favorite Person

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#35 Using Spanish And Portuguese Charts, He Mapped Europe, Africa, And Even Parts Of The Americas With Precision Far Ahead Of Many Of His Contemporaries

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#36 Mount Everest’s Highest Point Was Once The Floor Of An Ancient Ocean

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#37 It’s A Day Dedicated To Self-Reflection, Meditation, And Reconnecting With Nature

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#38 Ore Than 350 Captive Dolphins Will Be Relocated, With Some Rehabilitated For Release And Others Moved To Ocean Sanctuaries Where They Can Live More Freely Under Expert Care

Image source: thegreatplanet
#39 Nigel Used To Have A British Accent, But When He Returned, He Greeted His Owner With A Cheerful “¡buenos Días!” Instead

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#40 The Pacific Ocean Is The Largest And Deepest Ocean On Earth, Covering More Area Than All The Continents Combined

Image source: thegreatplanet
#41 Kuva Space Partnered With WWF-Indonesia To Use Hyperspectral Satellites To Map And Protect “Blue Carbon” (Mangroves & Seagrass) From Space

Image source: thegreatplanet
#42 Founded In The 4th Century, This Incredible Structure Clings To The Sheer Cliffs Of The Pontic Mountains, 300 Meters Above The Valley

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#43 A Vast Complex Carved Into The Semi-Desert Slopes On The Border Of Georgia And Azerbaijan

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#44 Technology Is Winning The Fight Against Poaching. Major Reserves Reported Zero Rhino Poaching After Deploying New AI Thermal Cameras

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#45 Proof Of Nature’s Resilience; It Shows That Protecting Local River Corridors Can Bring Species Back

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#46 Instead Of Charity, This Fund Pays Nations A “Salary” For Every Hectare Of Forest They Keep Standing

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#47 Japanese Researchers Planted Thousands Of Cedar Trees In A Precise Pattern To Study How Spacing Affects Growth

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#48 Between 2021 And 2023, Parts Of The Continent Received Record Snowfall, Adding Over 100 Billion Tons Of Ice To The Surface In A Single Year

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#49 A Golden Retriever Named Maru Accidentally Became An Online Star After Showing Up In More Than 1,000 Google Street View Photos On Jukdo, A Small Island Near Ulleungdo In South Korea

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#50 N Greece (Kapandriti), A Beekeeper Has Followed This Tradition For Over A Decade, Placing Icons Of Christ, The Holy Virgin, And Saints Inside His Hives

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#51 North Sentinel Island In The Andamans Is The Most Dangerous Place On Earth To Visit

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#52 Conservation Efforts, Reduced Hunting, And Cleaner Waters Are Helping These Migration Routes Come Back To Life

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#53 International Agreements And Reduced Emissions Are Showing That Coordinated Action Can Repair Even The Planet’s Biggest Threats

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#54 Long Before Europe Became Famous For Its Vineyards, Neolithic Communities Were Already Cultivating Grapes And Storing Wine In Clay Vessels

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#55 That Earthy Scent After Rain Is Called Petrichor. Studies Show It Can Slow Brain Activity And Ease Stress

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#56 The Country Aims For Full Carbon Neutrality By 2050, Showing That A Green Future Is Truly Possible

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#57 It’s Part Of A Bold Effort To Fight Desertification And Build A Greener, More Livable Nation

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#58 It Sits Nearly 11 Kilometers Below Sea Level, A Place So Dark And Pressurized That Exploring It Is Harder Than Landing On Another World

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#59 A Bridge Between Two Continents: Istanbul. The Western Side Belongs To Europe, While The Eastern Side Reaches Into Asia

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#60 Research Shows That The Sound Of Waves Increases Alpha Brain Waves, The Same Calm State Created By Meditation

Image source: thegreatplanet
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