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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
YucatÀn 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 the
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.
To see the central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy descend overhead the
Mayan pyramid,
however, requires less exquisite timing.
Even the
ancient Mayans
might have been impressed, though, to know that the exact positions of the Milky
Way, Saturn (left) and Jupiter (right) in the featured image give it a time stamp
more specific than
equinox -- in fact 2019 April 7 at 5 am.
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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