APOD on Nostr: **Astronomy Picture of the Day** 16 March 2026 **Equinox at the Pyramid of the ...

**Astronomy Picture of the Day**

16 March 2026

**Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent**



Image Credit: Robert Fedez

Explanation:
To see the feathered serpent
descend
the Mayan pyramid requires exquisite timing.

You must visit
El Castillo -- in
Mexico's
Yucatán Peninsula -- near an
equinox.

Then, during the late afternoon if the sky is clear,
the pyramid's own
shadows create triangles
that merge into the famous illusion of a
slithering viper.

Also known as the
Temple of Kukulkan, the impressive step-pyramid
stands 30 meters tall and 55 meters wide at the base.

Built up as a series of square terraces by the
pre-Columbian civilization between the 9th and 12th century,
the structure can be used as a calendar and is noted for
astronomical alignments.

The featured composite image was captured in 2019 with
Jupiter and Saturn
straddling the diagonal central band of our Milky Way galaxy.

In a few days another
equinox will occur
-- not only at Temple of Kukulcán, but
all over planet Earth.

#APOD #Equinox #MayanAstronomy #Kukulkan #ElCastillo #AstronomicalAlignment

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260315.html