Empire Moonrise

In the morning twilight the crescent Moon rises above the tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae; a 2500-year old World Heritage Site in southern Iran. Note the surprising appearance of M44 or Beehive star cluster at the image’s upper edge, while in a close conjunction with the Moon.

Pasargadae was the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire, the capital of Cyrus the Great (600-530 BC) and also his last resting place. At the height of its power, the Achaemenid Empire encompassed spanned three continents, as far west as Libya to nearly all Middle East, and to Central Asia. Cyrus left an everlasting legacy on leadership as he respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. He attributed his success to “Diversity in counsel, unity in command.”