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This week, as thousands of visitors prepare to witness the descent of the Feathered Serpent at Chichén Itzá, something equally extraordinary is happening beyond our atmosphere. NASA, the world’s leading space agency, has once again turned its attention to the Temple of Kukulcán, selecting an image of El Castillo as its Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for the fourth time in 14 years.
On Sunday, March 15, 2026, NASA published on its official platform the Astronomy Picture of the Day, featuring a stunning composite image of El Castillo titled “Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent.” This is not the first time this particular photograph, captured by Robert Fedez in 2019, has received this honor. It was previously selected on June 17, 2019, and March 19, 2023.
What makes this fourth recognition especially remarkable is its perfect timing. Just days before the spring equinox, which will take place on Friday, March 20 at 8:46 AM (Central Mexico Time), NASA not only highlights the aesthetic beauty of the image but also uses its platform to invite the world to witness one of the most impressive archaeoastronomical phenomena ever conceived: the descent of Kukulcán.
The image itself captures the central band of the Milky Way descending behind the pyramid, framed by Jupiter and Saturn. It is, in essence, a cosmic portrait where human achievement and the universe exist in perfect harmony.
The first time NASA recognized El Castillo took place on December 21, 2012, a date filled with symbolism. On that day, when some feared the “end of the world” based on catastrophic interpretations of the Maya calendar, the agency published the image “Orion over El Castillo” along with a reassuring message: “Welcome to the December solstice, a day when the world does not end… even according to the Maya calendar.”
In reality, that date marked the end of the 13th Baktun, a cycle of 144,000 days that completed an era of 5,126 years, which began on August 11, 3114 BC. Rather than an apocalypse, it represented a renewal, a new beginning.
The photograph by Robert Fedez, the most successful of all, having been selected three times, captured an even more precise moment: April 7, 2019, at 5:00 AM, when Saturn and Jupiter were perfectly aligned on either side of the Milky Way above the Temple of Kukulcán.
NASA emphasized that this alignment provided a “more precise timestamp than the equinox,” demonstrating how modern astronomy can accurately date a single moment captured through a lens.
To truly understand the magnitude of this recognition, we must ask: what did the ancient Maya see in what NASA now photographs?
When we look at the image of Orion rising above El Castillo, archaeoastronomers reveal a fascinating insight: for the Maya, these stars did not represent a hunter. Instead, they saw a turtle. The three stars of Orion’s Belt formed what they identified as a “celestial turtle,” associated with creation and sacrifice.
The Temple of Kukulcán itself was far more than a temple. Built between the 9th and 12th centuries, this structure, approximately 30 meters tall and 55 meters wide, functioned as a three-dimensional calendar. Every side, every step, and every panel was meticulously designed to track solar cycles.
Between March 20 and 21, roughly from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the magic happens. Sunlight projects seven triangles of light and shadow along the northern staircase of the Temple of Kukulcán. As these triangles connect with the sculpted serpent head at the base, they create the illusion of a serpent descending the pyramid.
However, INAH reminds us that El Castillo is not the only highlight during these days. At the Temple of the Warriors, another phenomenon occurs: the shadow creates the illusion of a jaguar, whose “spots” (represented by jade discs) shine under the sunlight.
“In a few days, another equinox will occur, not only at the Temple of Kukulcán, but across the entire planet Earth,” NASA wrote in its March 15, 2026 publication.
With this statement, the agency reminds us that while the phenomenon at Chichén Itzá is among the most famous, the equinox itself is a global event, a moment of balance between light and darkness that has been celebrated by countless cultures throughout history.
For those visiting Yucatán during these dates, the recommendation is clear: arrive early, be patient, and remember that you are witnessing something designed by the Maya over a thousand years ago, something that even NASA, from space, considers worthy of sharing with the world.