Stonehenge: Ancient Monument to the Sun
Credit & Copyright: Clive Ruggles Explanation: Stonehenge consists of large carved stones assembled about 4000 years ago. Long before modern England was established, ancient inhabitants somehow moved 25 ton rocks nearly 20 miles to complete it. From similar constructs of the era, people could learn the time of year by watching how the Sun and Moon rose and set relative to accurately placed stones and pits. The placement of the boulders at Stonehenge, however, is not impressively accurate by today's standards, nor even by the standards of that time. Therefore, modern scholars interpret Stonehenge as a colossal monument to the Sun in celebration of the predictability of the seasons. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Telescope Peak - One last look at Death Valley, with snowcapped Telescope Peak in the background. From Valley floor to the summit, it's more than two vertical miles.- A virtual tour of Death Valley, by Laurent Martres, PhotoTripUSA.
Comet Hale-Bopp Over the Superstition Mountains - Credit & Copyright: William R. Dellinges - Explanation: Four years ago, Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered out near Jupiter falling toward the inner Solar System. Two years ago, it provided spectacular pictures as it neared its closest approach to the Sun. Still today, spectacular pictures of the brightest comet of the 1990s are surfacing. Above, Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed in 1997 behind the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. Clearly visible are the comets white dust tail that shines by reflected sunlight, and the blue ion tail that shines by glowing gas. Currently, there are several comets visible from the proper location with a small telescope. A comet visible to the unaided eye appears about once every five years. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Artist Palette - A.M. Going south on the Badwater Road, you soon encounter the Artist Palette loop, where colorful minerals grace the landscape. This site is suitable for both morning and late afternoon photography. Here is an early morning shot, with the colors of the various ores really popping. The Artist Palette road also provides very good open views of the valley floor. A virtual tour of Death Valley, by Laurent Martres, PhotoTripUSA.
Furnace Creek - Back at Furnace Creek for breakfast, you can stroll through this extraordinary palm tree oasis. An incongruous sight in the middle of this very inhospitable desert. - A virtual tour of Death Valley, by Laurent Martres, PhotoTripUSA.
HCG 87: A Small Group of Galaxies Credit: Sally Hunsberger (Lowell Obs.), Jane Charlton (Penn State), et al. & the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ STScI/ NASA) Explanation: Sometimes galaxies form groups. For example, our own Milky Way Galaxy is part of the Local Group of Galaxies. Small, compact groups, like Hickson Compact Group 87 (HCG 87) shown above, are interesting partly because they slowly self-destruct. Indeed, the galaxies of HCG 87 are gravitationally stretching each other during their 100-million year orbits around a common center. The pulling creates colliding gas that causes bright bursts of star formation and feeds matter into their active galaxy centers. HCG 87 is composed of a large edge-on spiral galaxy visible on the lower left, an elliptical galaxy visible on the lower right, and a spiral galaxy visible near the top. The small spiral near the center might be far in the distance. Several stars from our Galaxy are also visible in the foreground. The above picture was taken in July by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Studying groups like HCG 87 allows insight into how all galaxies form and evolve. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.