Credit & Copyright: Stephen Clark /
Spaceflightnow.com
Explanation:
This early morning skyscape was captured last week on August 4th,
looking northeast across calm waters
in the Turn Basin
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
In a striking contrast in motion, the space shuttle
Discovery, mounted on a massive
transporter, creeps toward launch pad 39A at
less than two miles per hour, while a brilliant meteor streaks
through the sky traveling many miles per second.
Of course, this week skywatchers have seen many similar meteor streaks
during the annual
Perseid meteor shower.
But the meteor flashing above Discovery is not likely to be one
of the Perseids because its path doesn't point back
to that shower's radiant.
Seen here near picture center, brilliant planet Venus still dominates
the sky as the Morning Star, though.
Yellowish tinted Mars lies near the top of the frame and
Orion's red giant star Betelgeuse
is toward the right.
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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: space shuttle - meteor
Publications with words: space shuttle - meteor
See also:
- APOD: 2024 November 27 Á The Meteor and the Comet
- Meteor over the Bay of Naples
- APOD: 2024 February 11 Á Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon
- Fireball over Iceland
- APOD: 2023 August 23 Á The Meteor and the Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 July 16 Á Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
- APOD: 2023 May 14 Á To Fly Free in Space