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Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper
Explanation:
What are those strange rock structures?
They are towers and walls of sedimentary rock that are particularly plentiful in
Bryce Canyon in
Utah,
USA.
The rock columns may rise higher than 50 meters and are called
hoodoos.
On the far left is
Thor's Hammer,
perhaps the most famous
hoodoo.
The tall rock columns were carved, most typically, when a unusually dense cap of
rock provided a layer of protection to rock underneath from rain-based
erosion.
In the above panoramic picture taken earlier this month and compressed horizontally,
the foreground rocks were momentarily illuminated by a roving spotlight.
Visible in the background are a few
water clouds averaging a few hundred
light years away in the nearby
Milky Way Galaxy.
Far in the distance lie billions of stars that are thousands of light years away
and compose the faintly glowing arch that is the visible
central band of the flat disk of our Milky Way.
Over many years, wind and rain will eventually cause the tops of the
hoodoos to topple, whereafter the
underlying column will likely completely erode away.
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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: Milky Way
Publications with words: Milky Way
See also:
- APOD: 2024 November 24 Á Journey to the Center of the Galaxy
- APOD: 2024 November 5 Á Milky Way over Easter Island
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 29 Á Milky Way over Uluru
- APOD: 2024 May 29 Á Stairway to the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- Milky Way Rising