When I got the data for this week’s most-read stories on National Geographic, my first thought was that they were all over the editorial map. A perplexing interstellar comet that might be one of the oldest things in the galaxy, a sunken pirate ship still churning out treasure, the ill effects of doomscrolling, and our archival feature written by Robert Redford himself about the Outlaw Trail. What an interesting mix of tastes! My second thought, though, was of course they’re touching on so many different topics—these are Nat Geo readers! We’re having so much fun bringing you this unique mix.  

Next week is our 137th birthday and we’re celebrating with a whole week of special content for our subscribers. Not a subscriber? I want to flag that this week has the biggest sale of the year.

—William O’Connor, Newsletter Editor 

The lightweight tech is custom-made, with drones swapping in and out seamlessly to create halos of light—and the hand of God.

Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by William O'Connor  and produced by Rita Spinks. Let us know if you have suggestions and sign up here to get the Photo of the Week on Sundays.