Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2021 March 23

                        Mars over Duddo Stone Circle
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Ged Kivlehan

   Explanation: Why are these large stones here? One the more famous stone
   circles is the Duddo Five Stones of Northumberland, England. Set in the
   open near the top of a modest incline, a short hike across empty fields
   will bring you to unusual human -sized stones that are unlike anything
   surrounding them. The grooved, pitted, and deeply weathered surfaces of
   the soft sandstones are consistent with being placed about 4000 years
   ago -- but placed for reasons now unknown. The featured image -- a
   composite of two consecutive images taken from the same location -- was
   captured last October under a starry sky when the Earth was passing
   near Mars, making the red planet unusually large and bright. Mars
   remains visible at sunset, although increasingly close to the horizon
   over the next few months.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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