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 Anakena 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.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260325.html #apod

"Author Neil Gaiman, in response to users submitting questions about Goncharov to his Tumblr inbox, expressed disapproval and asked them to stop."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goncharov_(meme)

Ha ha, fuck you, prick

The power of storytelling ain't so grand unless it can make you a buck, is it? Go shove an E-meter up your ass

Night sky 10 years ago: “look, a shooting star!”

Night sky tonight: “look more Starlink junk burning up and rapidly seeding aluminium into our upper atmosphere with unknown consequences.”

FCC reply comments are due by 5pm EDT Monday 30 March on Reflect Orbital. If you wrote in a comment, please please please write in again saying that they did not address your concerns in their letter (which is very hard to find in the FCC dumpster-fire-of-a-website). Instructions here: https://aas.org/posts/advocacy/2026/02/how-submit-comments-satellite-applications-fcc

The most horrifying part in their "consolidated reply": they agree that they could in fact cause permanent eye damage to people using medium-sized telescopes. WILD.

Boston Common today. The crowd was enormous. If they say it's 100,000 people, I will not be surprised.

#NoKings #boston

Declaring #NoKings in Boston neighborhoods: Photos from protests in Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Hyde Park and at the Sophia Snow Senior Living Center.

https://www.universalhub.com/2026/declaring-no-kings-boston-neighborhoods