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APOD: 2023 March 19 Á Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
| << Yesterday | 19.03.2023 | Tomorrow >> |
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.
Tomorrow marks another
equinox -- not only at
Temple of Kukulcön, but
all over planet Earth.
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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
Publications with words: equinox
See also: