A Strange Monolith Straight Out of 2001: A Space Odyssey Appears in the Utah Wilderness

Officials from the Utah department of public safety had a Stanley Kubrick moment when they spotted a monolith in a remote landscape in the southern part of the state known for its otherworldly red rock formations. In this encounter, however it was bighorn sheep—not apes—surrounding the shimmering slab. “I’m assuming it’s some new wave artist or something or, you know, somebody that was a big 2001: A Space Odyssey fan,” says Bret Hutchings, the helicopter pilot who was assisting wildlife resource officers to count the sheep. The artist Liam Sharp has perhaps the best commentary on the discovery, tweeting “I love this. I imagine it’s an art piece, but what if it isn’t?”