Quarai Redware

A red clay water jar from the 17th Century pueblo ruins at Quarai is enveloped by ragged shards of gas expelled from the heart of the Crab Nebula.

Chinese astronomers recorder the massive supernova explosion in 1054 AD, and the Hubble Space Telescope reexamined the scene in 1995. The various colors depict different chemical elements, their color, temperature and density captured with five of Hubble's filters. The original exploding star has survived as a neutron star (pulsar) that spins on its axis 30 times a minute. (PRC00-15: NASA, Hubble Heritage Team, STScI, AURA.)

The Spanish occupied New Mexico in the early 1600's and encouraged Franciscans to settle with and convert the natives. Under Franciscan direction, the Indians built large churches and adopted some European ways, but the Spanish stay was short. Drought, famine and raiding Apaches caused abandonment in the 1670's. This redware pot is on display at the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in Mountainair, NM.

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