31 Rare photos that reveal an unseen side of our world

The chaos of everyday life makes it easy for people to become consumed with their jobs, families, partners, hobbies, and whatever else. Leaning into the things that we are good at or comfortable with helps us get through the day.

Unfortunately, falling into boring routines of habit and comfort often makes it easier to forget to try new things, seek out unique experiences, and view the world with an open mind. Below is a collection of rare, interesting pictures that help reveal the lesser-noticed parts of life that are worth watching out for.

The Brocken Mountain Spectre Phenomenon

The “Brocken Spectre” is a rare optic happening that occurs when a person is standing with the sun on their back at a higher altitude in the mountains.

The light casts the person’s shadow on a cloud at a lower altitude making it look like a giant human lurks in the fog.

The Underside Of Giant Water Lily Pads

The giant water lily is native to South America and produces the largest lily pad in the world.

The leaves, or “pads,” can grow as large as eight to nine feet in diameter, and a fully mature pad is capable of supporting up to 100 pounds of weight.

An Adorable Cat With More Toes Than Tail

Polydactyly is a condition where a person or animal is born with more than five fingers or toes on a single hand or foot, or both.

This adorable kitty somehow managed to develop a lot more toes than she needed, but her bonus toes just mean there’s more of her to love.

Horses On A Plane

We can officially stop using the phrase “when pigs fly” because as it turns out, livestock fly all the time.

These horses are standing in stalls that are arranged in a large cargo plane as it flies overseas.

The Backside Frame Of The Mona Lisa Is In Rough Shape

If you’re one of the many people who was underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa after seeing it IRL (spoiler alert: it’s surprisingly small), you’ll be even less impressed to see the back of it.

One of the most renowned pieces of art history is sealed in a wooden frame much like one you might find in your grandparents’ basement.

Robotic Biomechanical Prosthetic Fingers

Cyberpunk junkies can obsess over these biomechanical prosthetic fingers—the glove with robotic fingers is giving off major “Blade Runner” vibes.

As cool as it is, the functionality that this person living with a physical disability will receive from these biotech fingers is truly life-changing.

Over 200+ Lucky Four-Leaf Clovers Saved And Pressed

One seriously lucky (and observant) Reddit user managed to collect and save over 200 four-leaf clovers, then pressed them in a notebook to preserve them.

The top comment on the Reddit post certainly goes to Liddle_Jawn who wrote: “Anyone ever tell you not to press your luck?”

Some Denmark Neighborhoods Separate Homes Using Large Circular Hedges

In some neighborhoods in Denmark, people have taken to using rounded hedges in order to enclose their properties and offer some privacy from neighbors.

From an aerial perspective, the homes look suspended in little green bubbles, but on the ground, the round hedges stretch for hundreds of feet and require a bit of gardening upkeep.

Nature Is Resetting In Places Without Tourists

This bamboo forest is one of the natural places in the world that actually benefited from the pandemic thanks to the travel restrictions that essentially eliminated all tourist traffic.

One young bamboo stalk grows unmarked by tourist hands, knives, and sticks. The new stalk is free of graffiti and bright green with youth.

Monkey Versus Model Village

This gibbon is pictured casually strolling through a model village at a zoo in Bakhchisaray, Crimea. The tiny town is so detailed that at first glance, it appears real and the gibbon looks giagantic.

The model town is already beaten up and looks like it’s been hit by some kind of apocalyptic disaster, but the monkey strolling through really completes the King Kong vibe.

Is This Real Life Or Star Wars?

Someone snapped this picture of the view outside their airplane window. The jet engine is visible over a flat expanse of cloud so evenly dispersed, it appears like a flat landscape with a clear horizon.

On the far left is a perfect cloud replica of an AT-AT Walker from The Empire Strikes Back.

Windmill Blades Travel By Truck

Windmill propellers have to get where they’re going somehow. Admittedly, I thought they were assembled on-site, but this image reveals that sometimes the insanely huge propellors are trucked in on a cargo hauler.

Next, the techs use a crane to raise up the new blade and secure it into place.

The Underside Of A Modern Warship

Seeing the underside of a warship without the water weirdly feels like looking up a boat’s skirt.

This may help answer some people’s questions about how these goliath boats actually float, but it also raises a few more questions.

This Is Not A Scene From “Stranger Things”

This massive lightning formation reaches across a night sky, eerily looking like a portal to another dimension.

The orange and purple glow from the electricity in the clouds looks similar to the storms conjured up in the cursed town of Hawkins from the Netflix sci-fi favorite Stranger Things.

“One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure…Island”

Turkish sanitary workers (aka garbage removal people) decided to do something about all of the books they were finding in the trash.

They opened up a beautiful library to repurpose the garbaged books, keeping the knowledge and literature alive for future generations to learn from.

These Clouds That Haven’t Finished Loading

Someone snapped a picture of the suspicious weather forming in the clouds outside their home.

The change in temperature caused the clouds to divide in a shelf, but like the caption on the photo says, it looks more like they failed to render.

This Rock Climber Who Went For A Fall

Rock climbers thrive on adrenaline but this perfectly timed photo captured a scary moment for this climber who was mid-fall.

The picture captured the moment just before his slack rope would catch him and send him bouncing into the wall. The man needs a helmet and it’s also clear why his user name is shatteredankle.

The Milk Crate (Chalk) Challenge

The milk crate challenge has taken the internet (and emergency rooms) by storm as people try and clamber over the wobbly crates stacked together.

This man came up with a safe solution to let people get in on the action without risking a broken limb. He drew a hyper-realistic chalk mural of the crates and it was totally worth the effort.

The Giant Lily Pads Also Have A Protective Thorn Layer

A system of stems and tubes spread beneath the leaf to help the plant consume oxygen and support external weight (like frogs, turtles, and birds).

This man displays the other unique feature of the giant aquatic plant: protective thorns that protect the plant from being eaten from below.

The Cat Boss Of Model Village Town

This cat also made its way into a model village, but instead of doing some old-fashioned terrorizing, it decided to have a little snooze on the grounds.

The miniature model pedestrians make the cat look like a gigantic sleeping beast next to the tiny people and cars.

The Man And The Moon

This amazing image was captured from the perfect perspective to make it appear as though the man in the photo is holding the moon.

Not only that, he seems to be stealing it in the back of his car.

Macro Mushrooms Are Beautiful

So this is what a toad sees when hopping across the forest floor.

Believe it or not, this amazing macro shot of some mushrooms was taken at a local farmer’s market vegetable stand. You’re looking at someone’s future dinner.

The World’s Third-Largest Diamond Discovered In Botswana In June 2021

A 1,098-carat diamond was unearthed in early June 2021 at the Jwaneng mine approximately 75 miles from the capital of Botswana, according to the country’s government.

It is believed to be the third-largest “gem-quality” diamond that has ever been discovered.

This Seasonal Optical Illusion

This photo was captured from the perfect angle, at the perfect time of year.

Even though it appears to be four separate photos of changing seasons, it is actually one single photo of two separate buildings and the changing leaves in the background.

A Sea Creature Making Its Way Back Home

At first glance, this photo looks like a gigantic centipede has stormed the beach and is headed for the water in a weird sci-fi movie.

In reality, a large sea turtle heads back home after burying her eggs on the beach, but this aerial drone shot adds some serious perspective to her journey.

The “Whitney Wolverine” Futuristic .22 Caliber Pistol From The 1950s

This extremely rare .22 pistol from the 1950s is called the “Whitney Wolverine.” It was an “Atomic Age”-influenced weapon designed by a man named Robert Hillberg.

This means that it was designed with a nod to the idea of “space-age” advancement and futuristic technology. It’s lightweight, aluminum, semi-automatic, and was basically the luxury model gun at the time with only 13,000 ever being manufactured.

These Aesthetically Pleasing Wheat And Lavender Fields

The farmer who planted these wheat and lavender fields had a thing for precise lines.

The crops run perfectly side by side without any cross growth between the two and somehow it’s so visually appealing.

This Rebellious Sunflower Does Not Want To Face East

Sunflowers are known for their love of the sun, big surprise, right? They love the sun’s warmth so much that they spend the day slowly turning to stay in the heat from the rays.

Except for this single sunflower, who decided that on this day, it would not face east.

This “Glowing” Tree Trunk In A Forest

Someone who really appreciates the beauty of nature took the time to collect and arrange various colored dead leaves around the base of this tree.

The gradient color arrangement makes the tree appear as though it is magically glowing from the trunk. A natural edit out in the wild!

An Up-Close Look At A Flying Fish Out Of Water

Flying fish have been known to accidentally launch themselves into boats and fishing barges while they are sailing.

It’s no wonder the fish can manage such great leaps with fins that are almost exact replicas of certain bird wings.

“Dead Man’s Fingers” Reaching Out From The Forest Floor

This fungus could startle someone into thinking they discovered a dead body in the woods—yikes.

Despite its eerie looks, the fungus is a naturally occurring growth that forms at the bottom of trees. It is not generally considered an edible fungus—which makes you wonder how many people tried frying those fingers up.