Limited Edition of 100 Exclusive high-resolution Museum Quality Fine Art Prints of the Night Sky over Agathia Peak, Navajo Nation, Arizona. Photos copyright © Jess Lee.
Agathla Peak or Agathlan (Navajo: Aghaałą́, Spanish: El Capitan) is a peak south of Monument Valley, Arizona, which rises over 1,500 feet (460 meters) above the surrounding terrain. It is 7 miles (11 km) north of Kayenta and is visible from U.S. Route 163. The English designation Agathla is derived from the Navajo name aghaałą́ meaning 'much wool', apparently for the fur of antelope and deer accumulating on the rock.[3] The mountain is considered sacred by the Navajo.
Agathla Peak is an
eroded volcanic plug consisting of
volcanic breccia cut by
dikes of an unusual igneous rock called
minette. It is one of many such volcanic
diatremes that are found in Navajo country of northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. Agathla Peak and
Shiprock in New Mexico are the most prominent. These rocks are part of the
Navajo Volcanic Field, in the southern
Colorado Plateau. Ages of these minettes and associated more unusual igneous rocks cluster near 25 million years.
About the Milky Way
Milky Way has a relatively low surface brightness. Its visibility can be greatly reduced by background light, such as light pollution or moonlight. The sky needs to be darker than about 20.2 magnitude per square arcsecond in order for the Milky Way to be visible.[41] It should be visible if the limiting magnitude is approximately +5.1 or better and shows a great deal of detail at +6.1.[42] This makes the Milky Way difficult to see from brightly lit urban or suburban areas, but very prominent when viewed from rural areas when the Moon is below the horizon.[b] Maps of artificial night sky brightness show that more than one-third of Earth's population cannot see the Milky Way from their homes due to light pollution.[43]. Photo © copyright by Jess Lee.