- Saddle Mountain, a remote and rocky ridge located in central Washington. These hills rise to 2700 feet and offer stunning views of the desert landscape and the Columbia River below. But that’s not all – the fossilized wood on these rugged hills contains a record of the area’s geological history. Petrified or opalized wood is the official gemstone of Washington, and Saddle Mountain is a treasure trove for rock enthusiasts who love agatized wood.
- Messier 99 (Wikipedia)
Messier 99 or M99, also known as NGC 4254 or St. Catherine’s Wheel, is a grand design spiral galaxy in the northern constellation Coma Berenices approximately 15,000,000 parsecs (49,000,000 light-years) from the Milky Way. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain on 17 March 1781. The discovery was then reported to Charles Messier, who included the object in the Messier Catalogue of comet-like objects. It was one of the first galaxies in which a spiral pattern was seen. This pattern was first identified by Lord Rosse in the spring of 1846.