Sunrise, morning haze, Grand Canyon on EarthSky | Today's Image

View larger. | Grand Canyon in the morning, by Phil Rettke Photography

View larger. | Grand Canyon at sunrise, by Phil Rettke Photography. Visit his Facebook page.

Sunrise through the morning haze at the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Thank you, Phil Rettke Photography!

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and over a mile (1,800 meters) deep in places. The Colorado River runs through it. Nearly two billion years of geologic history can be seen in the canyon, exposed by the flowing water and by the uplift of the Colorado Plateau. And in case you’ve never been there, but always wanted to go, here’s how to plan your visit to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon, seen from a point known as Hermit’s Rest. This image is from Wikimedia Commons.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.