This dramatic scene definitely inspired ancient residents of the Easter Island as it amaze us today. Silhouetted against the starry sky of this isolated Pacific Ocean island, are large statues, locally called Moais, remained from 13th to 15th century. This world-famous set of statues is known as Ahu Tongariki in the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) National Park, a well deserved World Heritage Site. The bright cloud in the sky is our neighboring satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with 10 billion times the mass of our Sun (roughly 1/10 as massive as the Milky Way). It is the furthest object visible in this view at 160,000 light years away. The picture we are seeing of the galaxy belong to the time when there was no civilization on our planet. Stephane Guisard - Astrosurf.com/sguisard

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