Why were the statues on Easter Island built? No one is sure. What is sure is that over 900 large stone statues called moai s exist there. The Rapa Nui (Easter Island) moais stand, on average, over twice as tall as a person and have over 200 times as much mass. It is thought that the unusual statues were created about 600 years ago in the images of local leaders of a vibrant and ancient civilization. Rapa Nui has been declared by UNESCO to a World Heritage Site . Pictured here , some of the stone giants were imaged last month under the central band of our Milky Way galaxy. Previously unknown moais are still being discovered .
Alternative Multi-APOD Front Page: MyUniverseHub.com
Media Credits & Attribution
Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury