Ghostly Reflections of Gran Quivira

A reconstructed polychrome jar from the pueblo ruins of Gran Quivira stands in the eerie light of a reflection nebula.

The Hubble Telescope captures the light from a bright Pleiades star, Merope (IC349), as it caroms off black clouds of gas and dust. Merope, just outside this picture, is in a famous star cluster called the "Seven Sisters" in the constellation Taurus, about 380 light-years from Earth. The nebulosity was originally discovered in 1890 by American astronomer E.E. Barnard. (PRC00-36: NASA, the Hubble Heritage Team, STScI, AURA.)

The Tabirá polychrome jar was discovered at Gran Quivira, the largest Salinas settlement in central New Mexico occupied and missionized by the Spanish in the early 1600's. Drought, famine and raiding Apaches caused abandonment in the 1670's. This artifact is on display at the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.

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