January 18, 2011
The cosmos has been expanding since the beginning of time, making room for galaxies, for stars, for planets — and ultimately, for you.
Kona Galaxy Garden
Birthday · January 18, 2011
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published January 18, 2011. Credit: Garden by Jon Lomberg; Kite Aerial Photography by Pierre and Heidy Lesage. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
How does your galaxy grow? Quite contrary to a typical galaxy, this one needs water to flourish. Pictured above as it appears at the Paleaku Peace Gardens Sanctuary in Kona, Hawaii, USA, a meticulously planned garden spanning about 30 meters provides a relatively accurate map of our Milky Way Galaxy. Different plants depict stars, globular clusters, and even nebulas. Many bright stars visible in Earth's night sky are depicted on leaves surrounding the marked location of the Sun. Plant rows were placed to represent arms of our Galaxy, including the Sun's Orion Arm, the impressive Sagittarius Arm, and the little discussed Norma Arm. A small bar runs through our Galaxy's center, while a fountain has been built to represent the central black hole. What a stellar use of space!
Image credit: Garden by Jon Lomberg; Kite Aerial Photography by Pierre and Heidy Lesage