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Credit & Copyright: Robert Fedez
Explanation:
To see the feathered serpent
descend
the Mayan pyramid requires exquisite timing.
You must visit
El Castillo -- in
Mexico's
Yucatön Peninsula -- near an
equinox.
Then, during the late afternoon if the sky is clear,
the pyramid's own
shadows create triangles
that merge into the famous illusion of a
slithering viper.
Also known as the
Temple of Kukulkan, the impressive step-pyramid
stands 30 meters tall and 55 meters wide at the base.
Built up as a series of square terraces by the
pre-Columbian civilization between the 9th and 12th century,
the structure can be used as a calendar and is noted for
astronomical alignments.
The featured composite image was captured in 2019 with
Jupiter and Saturn
straddling the diagonal central band of our Milky Way galaxy.
In a few days another
equinox will occur
-- not only at Temple of Kukulcön, but
all over planet Earth.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: equinox - shadow
Publications with words: equinox - shadow
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 22 Á Equinox at Saturn
- APOD: 2025 September 21 Á Equinox Sunset
- APOD: 2024 September 22 Á Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City
- Sunrise Shadows in the Sky
- APOD: 2024 April 23 Á Contrail Shadow X
- APOD: 2024 March 19 Á A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
- APOD: 2024 February 11 Á Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon