Most Viewed Wikipedia Images of 2012

The winners of the Seventh Annual Most Viewed Images of the Year competition were announced recently. With over 3990 votes, Pierre Dalou (user: Kookburra 81) took home the top award for his photograph of European bee-eaters.

The 1st round of voting began in mid-January, and the 2nd round - in early February. The photographs in question were selected among the Featured Photographs in 2012 (more than 750 photographs).

(Total 12 photos)

1. First place

European bee-eaters, Ariège, France

Photographer by Pierre Dalous (User:Kookaburra 81)

#1 - 347 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Birds. European bee-eaters, Ariège, France. The female (in the foreground) is waiting for the proposal that the male will make.

2nd place

Magnificent solar eruption - August 31

Photographer by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

#2 - 304 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Astronomy. On August 31, 2012, a long filament of solar matter contained in the Sun's atmosphere, the "corona", erupted into space at 4:36 p.m. The coronal mass ejection was moving at a speed of more than 1450 kilometers per second. The ejection was not directed directly towards the Earth, but connected with the Earth's magnetic environment or the magnetosphere, causing auroras on the night of Monday, September 3rd.

3. Third place

Shot at a light bulb with an airgun

Photograph by Stefan Krause, Germany (User:Ritchyblack)

#3 - 209 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Objects. High-speed photography of a light bulb that was shot with an air pistol (located to the right of the bulb). The camera was triggered by a photocell that was located at the front of the pistol.

4. Fourth place

Mobödalen, August 2011

Photograph by Simo Räsänen (User:Ximonic)

164 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Views of nature. Wide evening view of Mobødalen, Hordaland, Norway. The photo was taken from the eastern end of the valley.

5. Fifth place

Yak near Yamdrok lake, Tibet

Photographer by Dennis Jarvis (User:Archer10)

160 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Mammals. These long-haired bulls are found throughout the Himalayan region of southern Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau, and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. The Tibetan economy is dominated by subsistence agriculture. Due to the limited arable land, the main occupation of the Tibetan plateau is animal husbandry, raising sheep, cattle, goats, camels, yaks and horses. Tibetan yaks are an integral part of Tibetan life.

6. Sixth place

Shmaretna mountain

Photographer by Mihael Grmek (User:Meho29)

153 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Cities and ruins. Šmarjetna Gora, view of Skofja Loka, Slovenia.

7. Seventh place

Heritage castle park in Pszczyna, Poland

Photographer by Jacek Cisło (User:Poranek)

151 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Views of nature.

8. Eighth place

Panorama of the Darvaza volcano crater

Photograph by Tormod Sandtorv (Flickr) – edited by User:Hellbus

151 votes in the final; Category in the first round: Views of nature. Doors to Hell, a burning gas field in Derwez, Turkmenistan. It is actually more than it looks. Three 17mm frames are stapled together.

9. Ninth place

Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal

Photographer by F Mira (Flickr)

139 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Structures and structures. Confluence in the fog - Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal.

10. Tenth place

Tarvasjõgi at Kõrvemaa park in Estonia

Photographer by Ireen Trummer (User:Ireena)

134 votes in the final; Category in the first round: Views of nature.

11. Eleventh place

Endeavor silhouette

Photographer by Crew of Expedition 22 (NASA)

126 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Astronomy. Although astronauts and cosmonauts often encounter striking views of the Earth, this unique image is part of a series of colorful Earth horizons that has an additional feature: the silhouette of the Space Shuttle Endeavor. The view was photographed by a member of the Expedition 22 crew to the International Space Station. The orange layer of the troposphere is where all the weather and clouds we normally see are created. This orange layer gives way to a whitish stratosphere and then to the mesosphere. In some shots, the black is part of the window frame, not the blackness of space.

12. Twelfth place

Arlington, Bibury, UK

Photograph by User:Saffron Blaze

112 votes in the final, Category in the first round: Cities and ruins. Arlington was built in 1380 as a monastic wool shop. These buildings were converted into weaving cottages in the 17th century.