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                        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.

                                2024 August 7
    A starry sky is seen through a rectangular rock opening. Three rocky
     peaks appear toward the right, while other peaks appear toward the
   left. Rising above the right peaks is the central band of our Milky Way
      Galaxy. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                       Milky Way Behind Three Merlons
   Image Credit & Copyright: Donato Lioce; Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY
                                   Oswego)

   Explanation: To some, they look like battlements, here protecting us
   against the center of the Milky Way. The Three Merlons, also called the
   Three Peaks of Lavaredo, stand tall today because they are made of
   dense dolomite rock which has better resisted erosion than surrounding
   softer rock. They formed about 250 million years ago and so are
   comparable in age with one of the great extinctions of life on Earth. A
   leading hypothesis is that this great extinction was triggered by an
   asteroid about 10-km across, larger in size than Mount Everest,
   impacting the Earth. Humans have gazed up at the stars in the Milky Way
   and beyond for centuries, making these battlefield-like formations,
   based in the Sexten Dolomites, a popular place for current and ancient
   astronomers.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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