|
Credit & Copyright: Matthew Dieterich
Explanation:
Despite appearances, the sky is not falling.
Two weeks ago, however, tiny bits of comet dust were.
Featured here
is the
Perseids meteor shower as captured
over
Mt. Rainier,
Washington,
USA.
The image was created from a two-hour time lapse video, snaring over 20 meteors,
including one that
brightened dramatically on the image left.
Although each
meteor train typically lasts less than a second,
the camera was able to capture their
color progressions as they disintegrated
in the
Earth's atmosphere.
Here an initial green
tint may be indicative
of
small amounts of glowing magnesium atoms that were knocked off the
meteor by atoms in the
Earth's atmosphere.
To cap things off,
the central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy
was simultaneously photographed rising straight up behind the snow-covered peak of
Mt. Rainier.
Another
good meteor shower
is expected in mid-November when debris from a different comet intersects Earth as
the
Leonids.
Follow APOD on Facebook: in
English or
Spanish
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Perseids
Publications with words: Perseids
See also: