Astronomy Picture of the Day: 01/09/13 - LMC Over Easter Island

This is an incredible picture of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) as it rises in the southern sky over Easter Island. Here, four of the famous Maoi are easily visible as they guard Ahu Akivi.

The LMC is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and is located about 160,000 light-years from Earth. Needless to say, it is easily visible with the unaided eye. For those interested, the Maoi were created about 500 years ago by Polynesian colonizers. There are seven Maoi at this particular location and a total of 887 of these great statues throughout the Island itself.

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