- Twin Falls, Clark County, Washington (waterfallsnorthwest.com)
The larger and upper of the two major waterfalls on Big Tree Creek is a scenic fine-lined plunge which leaps a clean 66 feet over an undercut basalt ledge, dropping into a surprisingly significant canyon set amid otherwise unassuming timber land. During periods of heavier flow, the falls spread out across a significantly broader expanse of the cliff, potentially tripling in breadth, but still retaining a well defined classic “plunge” form. Contrary to its name, there does not seem to be a “twin” to the plunge currently - the one time second segment has long since been plugged up. Perhaps a flood will unplug it some day.
second-brightest galaxy of
- Messier 87 (Wikipedia)
Messier 87 (also known as Virgo A or NGC 4486, generally abbreviated to M87) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo that contains several trillion stars. One of the largest and most massive galaxies in the local universe, it has a large population of globular clusters—about 15,000 compared with the 150–200 orbiting the Milky Way—and a jet of energetic plasma that originates at the core and extends at least 1,500 parsecs (4,900 light-years), traveling at a relativistic speed. It is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky and a popular target for both amateur and professional astronomers.