APOD: 2026 March 25 – The Guardians of Rapa Nui beneath the Milky Way
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.
2026 March 25
The Guardians of Rapa Nui beneath the Milky Way
Image Credit and Copyright:
Rositsa Dimitrova
Text:
Keighley Rockcliffe
(NASA
GSFC,
UMBC CSST,
CRESST II)
Explanation:
In the words of today’s astrophotographer, Rositsa Dimitrova, “What have these silent sentinels watched
pass across the sky?” The volcanic
mo’ai
(meaning statue) of
Ahu Tongariki
stand guard over
Rapa Nui
(Isla de Pascua, Easter Island),
a Polynesian island
(annexed by Chile in 1888) located thousands of kilometers off the coast of South America in the Pacific Ocean. Due to the island’s remoteness,
the mo’ai,
with their backs to the dark ocean, are able to gaze upon a clear and vibrant night sky.
Pictured,
these
larger-than-life statues
stare at the bright band of
the Milky Way,
partly obscured by
interstellar dust
and blurred by Earth’s clouds. Under such clear night skies, the Rapa Nui created observatories and used astronomical observations for
navigation, calendar calibration, celebrations, and more.
Images like this one remind us of
the importance of dark skies,
protecting the land underneath them, and
preserving the culture
that they inspire.
Tomorrow’s picture: Gravitational Waves
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn
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