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Credit & Copyright: Jimmy Westlake
(Colorado Mountain College)
Explanation:
Just after the
Moon set but before the
Sun rose in the
early morning hours of August 12,
meteors pelted the Earth from the direction of the constellation
Perseus, while
ions
pelted the Earth from the
Sun.
The
meteors were expected as sub-sand grains long left behind by
Comet Swift-Tuttle annually create the
Perseids Meteor Shower.
The aurorae
were unexpected, however, as
electrons,
protons, and
heavier ions raced out from a large
Coronal Mass Ejection that had
occurred just days
before on the Sun.
In the foreground is Hahn's Peak, an extinct volcano in
Colorado,
USA.
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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: aurora - meteor shower - Perseids
Publications with words: aurora - meteor shower - Perseids
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 10 Á The Great Meteor Storm of 1833
- APOD: 2024 December 8 Á Aurora around Saturns North Pole
- APOD: 2024 October 16 Á Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
- APOD: 2024 October 13 Á Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps
- Northern Lights, West Virginia
- Aurora Australis and the International Space Station
- APOD: 2024 August 12 Á Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge