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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.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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