                   APOD: 2018 March 19 - The Nebra Sky Disk

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2018 March 19
                                      [2]
                              The Nebra Sky Disk
                  Image Credit: Dbachmann [3] , Wikipedia [4]

Explanation: It is considered the oldest known illustration of the night sky.
But what, exactly, does it depict, and why was it made? The Nebra sky disk [5]
 was found with a metal detector in 1999 by treasure hunters near Nebra [6] ,
Germany [7] , in the midst of several bronze-age weapons [8] . The ancient
artifact spans about 30 centimeters and has been associated with the Unetice
culture [9]  that inhabited part of Europe [10]  around 1600 BC [11] .
Reconstructed, the dots are thought to represent stars [12] , with the cluster
representing the Pleiades [13] , and the large circle and the crescent
representing the Sun [14]  and Moon [15] . The purpose of the disk remains
unknown -- hypotheses including an astronomical clock [16] , a work of art,
and a religious symbol. Valued at about $11 million [17] , some believe that
the Nebra sky disk [18]  is only one of a pair, with the other disk still out
there waiting to be discovered.

                    Tomorrow's picture: Chicago Henge [19]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [31] (MTU [32] ) & Jerry Bonnell [33]
                                  (UMCP [34] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [35] .
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              A service of: ASD [37]  at NASA [38]  / GSFC [39]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [40]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1803/Nebra_Dbachmann_1611.jpg
  [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Dbachmann
  [4] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebra_Scheibe.jpg
  [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_(Unstrut)
  [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
  [8]
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/
slaughter-bridge-uncovering-colossal-bronze-age-battle
  [9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unetice_culture
  [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age_Europe
  [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600s_BC_(decade)
  [12]
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  [13] ap171114.html
  [14] ap160919.html
  [15] ap180318.html
  [16] ap171107.html
  [17] https://www.slrlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/5.jpg
  [18]
https://www.ancient.eu/article/235/
the-nebra-sky-disc---ancient-map-of-the-stars/
  [19] ap180320.html
  [20] ap180318.html
  [21] archivepix.html
  [22] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [23] lib/aptree.html
  [24] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [25] calendar/allyears.html
  [26] /apod.rss
  [27] lib/edlinks.html
  [28] lib/about_apod.html
  [29] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180319
  [30] ap180320.html
  [31] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [32] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [33] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [34] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [35] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [36] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [37] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [38] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [39] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [40] http://www.mtu.edu/
